Claim: JUI-F’s chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman challenged the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir after his party lost majority seats in the 2024 general elections.
Fact: The claim is misleading as the video clip is from an interview by Asma Shirazi recorded in December 2023.
Elections 2024
Pakistan’s general elections were held on 8 February 2024. According to the results issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), independent candidates backed by former prime minister Imran Khan are leading by winning the most seats in the National Assembly. However, no political party has been able to get a simple majority to form the government.
Protests have erupted across the country following allegations of widespread rigging during the general election, which were levelled by Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other political groups. With no clear winner declared yet, the country is in turmoil as multiple parties have laid claim to the government.
Following the alleged rigging and in the absence of a clear winner, Soch Fact Check has observed an influx of false and misleading claims which can impact public opinion.
Fact or Fiction?
On 9 February 2024, India Today’s editor, Geeta Mohan posted a video (archive) on X, with the caption, “Jamiat Ulema E Islam (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazal ur Rehman is challenging Pak Army Chief Asim Munir, saying there would be consequences for ignoring his party.”
Through an initial investigation of the video, Soch Fact Check found that the statement was not issued in the aftermath of the general elections, but two months before, in December 2024.
A keyword search on YouTube led to a video published by Aaj News on 12 December 2024. The video title reads, “Exclusive interview of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman | Faisla Aap Ka with Asma Shirazi”.
In the video interview, journalist Asma Shirazi discusses security conditions in the country and upcoming elections with the JUI-F chief.
At the 35:23 mark of the video, Shirazi discusses the future of Imran Khan and his party, and inquires Maulana Fazlur Rehman about his next step if the establishment strikes a deal with Khan.? In response, Rehman asserts that “the establishment is not the owner of Pakistan but we are. And if my party is ignored and Khan is backed by the establishment again, I will fight them.” He goes on to say, “I have fought against General Bajwa and General Faiz, and I can fight against such elements in the future as well.”
The footage in the misleading video is also identical to the one that was posted by Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s official YouTube channel here on 12 December 2023.
Hence, Soch Fact Check verifies that the interview was released before the general elections. However, in a recent press conference, Rehman did say that the establishment rigged the elections and called for a nationwide protest against the results. But the clip in the viral tweet is not recent. It has been shared with a misleading claim as the interview was released before the elections.
Imran Khan and the Establishment
Since holding office as Prime Minister in 2018, Khan has faced criticism for rising to power after being backed by the military establishment. On 10 April 2022, Khan was voted out of office through a no-confidence vote. On 9 May 2023, he was arrested on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau in the Al-Qadir Trust case but was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court, and consequently returned to his residence in Lahore.
In June 2023, after the 9 May clashes between PTI’s workers and security forces, followed by a crackdown on PTI, Khan accused the military establishment of trying to destroy his party.
Later on 5 August 2023, Khan was arrested from his Lahore residence in the Toshakhana case after a court conviction. Recently, just a week before the general election, two additional sentences were handed down to Khan: one of 14 years based on charges of illegally selling state gifts and another of ten years on charges of revealing state secrets, while he was already serving a three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case.
Virality
On X, the misleading video received 32,000 views and the archived versions can be seen here and here.
The misleading video was also shared here and here on YouTube, and here on Instagram.
Conclusion: The video clip of Maulana Fazlur Rehman saying he will put up a fight against the establishment again if necessary, is old and was released before the general elections of 2024. The JUI-F chief did not make the statement after the elections.
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