Fact-Check: Five misleading claims by Imran Khan about the JIT

Last week, former prime minister Imran Khan made several claims related to the findings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), including that it has found evidence to suggest that three gunmen were present on the day Khan was attacked.

The claim is inaccurate.

Claim

- On January 5 in a televised speech, Imran Khan, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), alleged that the JIT, constituted by the Punjab government on November 15, has revealed the following:

- Three shooters fired at Khan and the PTI gathering on November 3.

- Moazzam was killed accidentally, as the real target of the gunmen was the main accused, Naveed.

- A polygraph test showed that Naveed lied about being in contact with only one other person. “There was an entire plan behind the [attack],” Khan said.

- Naveed also lied about not receiving any firearm training. “He was a trained [gun]man,” Khan added.

- The claim that the attacker, Naveed, was religiously motivated has been exposed by the JIT findings.

All the JIT findings have been submitted in court.

Fact

Four out of five members of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) have now come forward to refute Imran Khan’s unsubstantiated claims, in a joint letter sent to the Capital City Police Officer Lahore, the convener of the JIT.

The letter has been signed by: Khurram Ali, the RPO DG Khan, Ehsan Ullah Chohan, the SP/AIG Monitoring, Naseeb Ullah Khan, SSP Intelligence CTD Punjab and Tariq Mehboob, SP Pothohar Division, Rawalpindi.

In the letter, the four members have debunked the following claims:

Claim: There were three gunmen.

JIT members: There is no credible evidence on the record to show that there were more than one fire/assailant.

Claim: Moazzam was killed accidentally when the real target was Naveed.

JIT members: It is yet to be ascertained as to who was responsible for Moazzam’s death.

Claim: A lie detector test showed that Naveed lied about being in contact with only one other person.

JIT members: So far no data/call record or witness has been found which connects the main accused with any other person involved in the planning of the crime.

Claim: The claim of the attacker being religiously motivated has been exposed by the JIT findings.

JIT members: The investigation of the case registered in Green Town, Lahore, is still not complete and making it a basis/motive of this important case at this stage makes no sense.

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