In a major embarrassment for the Maryam Nawaz-led Punjab government, Imperial College London has publicly denied claims that it plans to open a campus in Lahore, Pakistan. The announcement of the alleged collaboration had been made just days earlier by the provincial administration, stating that a campus and a 300-bed hospital would be established at the Nawaz Sharif IT City, with a foundation stone-laying ceremony planned for November. The claim was amplified by Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, and official government social media handles, presenting it as a landmark achievement.

However, the UK-based university swiftly refuted the reports. In a statement, Imperial College clarified, “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 false claim triggered strong reactions online, particularly from Imperial alumni. Javed Hassan, a former chairman of NAVTTC and an Imperial graduate, criticized the Punjab government for lacking basic fact-checking, stating, “Verification, it seems, is still a novel concept.”

This misstep has turned into a PR disaster for the Punjab government, which had heavily promoted the Nawaz Sharif IT City as a global hub for tech and education. Spanning 853 acres and promised as a tax-free zone, the IT City was pitched as a magnet for international firms and institutions. With Imperial College distancing itself entirely, the incident raises serious questions about the government's due diligence, transparency, and credibility in announcing international partnerships that seemingly never existed.