The largest association of Pakistani-origin physicians in North America, APPNA, has apologized after facing criticism over a blurred image of imprisoned former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan on a convention poster featuring prominent Pakistani personalities and national landmarks.
APPNA President Dr. Babar Rao issued a formal apology, describing the incident as an unintentional oversight.
The association called the altered visual on a tribute poster “unfortunate” and emphasized that it was not deliberate.
๐๐๐๐๐’๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง:@APPNA has officially responded to the incident involving the distorted image of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on aโฆ pic.twitter.com/z1lAmfQBMc
โ Dr Ahmad Rehan Khan (@AhmadRehanKhan) July 3, 2026
Dr. Rao also sought to reassure Khan’s supporters that both he and the organization respect Imran Khan for his contributions to Pakistan.
Images and videos of the poster displayed at the APPNA Convention in Orlando quickly circulated on social media, drawing criticism from Khan’s supporters and officials of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who condemned the blurring of his face.
The image in question depicts the iconic moment when Imran Khan led Pakistan to its only Cricket World Cup triumph, defeating England in the 1992 final. The photograph is widely recognized by cricket fans around the world.
Controversy at the APPNA convention in Orlando. A defaced picture of Imran Khan was posted at one of the events. This has hurt the sentiments of Imran Khan supporters and puts a black mark on the APPNA Board.
An explanation and apology is due from President Babar Rao.โฆ pic.twitter.com/WmX6g0VRWhโ Sajjad Burki (@SajjadBurki) July 3, 2026
Khan was among several prominent Pakistani figures featured on the large poster, alongside founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, acclaimed poet Allama Iqbal, music legend Noor Jehan, and other national personalities.
Critics argued that blurring Khan’s face was particularly objectionable given that he has been imprisoned for more than three years.
In response, the chair of the APPNA Host Committee accepted full responsibility for the incident, describing the image distortion as unintentional and pledging to investigate how it occurred.
We all know that in Pakistan, the name or picture of IMRAN KHAN cannot be taken in electronic media (PTV), cricket stadiums, and many public spaces because of military regime censorship.
But why should there be any such reluctance in APPNA?
We live in the United States, whereโฆ pic.twitter.com/y3A31PHdVR
โ Dr. Farrukh Shamim ( Muhammad Malik) (@mmalikx7) July 3, 2026
Imran Khan’s supporters maintain that the charges against the jailed PTI founder are politically motivated and that the legal proceedings have been unfair. The government prosecutors say the courts followed the due legal process.
APPNA officials also noted that multiple banners and poster promoting Namal University, displayed throughout the convention, prominently featured images of Imran Khan.
They said this demonstrated that the alteration on the convention banner was an isolated oversight rather than an intentional act.
Ali Imran is a Washington-based journalist, who has worked for leading world news organizations as a correspondent, expert and in editorial positions. He is a published author and poet.
