The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) found itself in hot water after a major educational claim it made on social media turned out to be false. On 18 October 2025, the party’s official X account posted an image of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, announcing that Imperial College London would establish a campus at the Nawaz Sharif IT City in Lahore, complete with a 300-bed hospital. The post gained over sixty thousand views within hours, sparking celebrations among party loyalists who hailed it as a landmark international collaboration.

However, the claim was quickly discredited by Imperial College London itself. In an official statement released on 21 October 2025 on its website, the prestigious British university categorically denied any such plans. “Reports that Imperial College London plans to open a campus overseas are incorrect,” the clarification read. “There have been erroneous reports in the media and online that Imperial is opening a campus at Nawaz Sharif IT City in Lahore, Pakistan. Imperial has no such plans, with all the university’s campuses based in the UK.”

The statement further directed readers to the university’s International Relations Office page for information about its global activities, making it clear that while Imperial collaborates internationally on research and innovation, it does not operate or plan to open any foreign campuses. This official correction came as an embarrassment for the Punjab government and the PML-N’s social media team, who had projected the development as part of Maryam Nawaz’s educational reform agenda under the banner of the Nawaz Sharif IT City project.

Political observers believe the post was designed to highlight Punjab’s supposed success in attracting world-class institutions, but the premature and inaccurate announcement has raised serious questions about the credibility of official communication from the party’s verified platforms. There has been no official clarification or retraction from PML-N following Imperial College’s denial, and the original tweet remains live at the time of writing.

No Memorandum of Understanding or formal agreement has been made public between the Punjab government and Imperial College London. Moreover, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has also not confirmed any foreign university partnership under the Nawaz Sharif IT City initiative.

The entire episode highlights how political optics often trump factual accuracy in Pakistan’s digital communication ecosystem. By posting a visually convincing announcement complete with Imperial’s imagery, the PML-N’s media team managed to create a perception of international endorsement that had no basis in reality.

After verifying both sides, The Scoop concludes that the claim made by PML-N — that Imperial College London is establishing a campus and hospital at Nawaz Sharif IT City — is false and misleading. The British university has officially denied any such plans, confirming that all its campuses remain within the United Kingdom.