Epstein labelled Imran Khan “threat to peace”; no proof of Maxwell ‘kiss’

WEB DESK: Newly disclosed emails from disgraced American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein show him describing former prime minister Imran Khan as a “greater threat to peace” shortly after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secured victory in the 2018 general election.

The emails, released by Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee, include an exchange dated July 31, 2018 in which Epstein discusses global politics with an unidentified interlocutor.

In the conversation, Epstein remarks that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been “kind so far” and complains about “how the US involves itself in others’ elections.” Minutes later, he pivots to Pakistan’s political transition, writing that Imran Khan represented “a much greater threat to peace than Erdogan, Khomeini, Xi or Putin.” When the other individual expressed surprise — “The populist in Pakistan???” — Epstein responded: “Really bad news.” He went on to describe Imran as “incapable of truth,” alleging he was a “devout Islamist” with “many nuclear weapons,” while also commenting critically on Imran’s personal life and past marriages.

As the email excerpts circulated online, old images of Imran Khan with British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell resurfaced, followed by a flood of manipulated videos and claims suggesting a deeper personal connection. Maxwell, a long-time associate of Epstein, is serving a 20-year sentence in the United States for helping him sexually abuse underage girls.

However, independent fact-checking organisations have found that several of the most widely shared claims accompanying Epstein’s email reference are false. Soch Fact-Check reported earlier that Imran Khan did not appear in any publicly released “Epstein list” or client registry, and no court documents link him to Epstein’s trafficking network. The often-circulated photograph of Khan with Maxwell, taken at a 1990 London event, predates Epstein’s criminal activities becoming public and shows no evidence of wrongdoing.

AFP Fact Check said that a viral video purporting to show Imran Khan kissing Maxwell was artificially generated. The clip was derived from a genuine Shutterstock photograph of the pair at the 1990 event, but experts identified visual distortions consistent with AI-driven manipulation. None of the original photographs from the event depict any such interaction.

The latest email release underscores the breadth of Epstein’s communications with high-profile individuals but does not provide any evidence supporting claims of an inappropriate relationship between Imran Khan and Ghislaine Maxwell. While Epstein’s comments on Imran appear in the newly released correspondence, the allegations circulating online — particularly those involving manipulated visuals — remain unfounded.