Claim: According to a screenshot of a Geo News bulletin, PTI founder, Imran Khan has said that JUI-F chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a good person and that he was incited against Rehman by General Faiz and Bajwa.
Fact: The screenshot of Imran Khan’s statement is doctored. Geo News never reported any such statement.
Elections 2024
According to the results issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), independent candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) are leading by winning the most seats in the National Assembly. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got 75 seats, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was able to secure 54 seats, while the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) bagged 17 seats. However, no political party has been able to secure 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 the PTI, and other nationalist groups. With no clear winner declared, multiple parties have laid claim to the government. PPP and PML-N have agreed to form a coalition with Shehbaz Sharif selected as the candidate for premiership.
Ahead of the elections, PTI faced obstacles with multiple key leaders and supporters behind bars, defections, and the loss of its ‘cricket bat’ symbol, which raised concerns about fair campaigning and a level playing field.
Just a week before the election, Khan was given three additional sentences; fourteen years in the Toshakhana case, ten years in the cipher case and seven years in a case which ruled his marriage un-Islamic.
Khan’s ouster and arrest
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. On 12 May 2023, he was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court and returned to his residence in Lahore under police protection. On 5 August 2023, Khan was arrested from his Lahore residence in the Toshakhana case after a court conviction.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Rehman recently alleged that former army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-spymaster, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed guided political parties in the no-confidence vote against ex-PM Imran Khan and provided directions during meetings with political leaders. Despite his initial reluctance, he eventually participated at the insistence of other parties, Rehman added.
PTI claimed vindication after Rehman’s accusations against the generals, stating that it proves the conspiracy against Imran Khan. PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb denied involvement in events mentioned by Rehman. PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Rehamn’s claims signaled the establishment’s withdrawal of support from Imran Khan, and acknowledged the establishment’s role as “a reality”.
On Imran Khan’s directives, a delegation from the PTI comprising key leaders, visited JUI-F’s chief in Islamabad to persuade him to join the anti-rigging campaign, following alleged irregularities in the election. Both parties acknowledged the alleged rigging and the resulting political crisis post-2024 elections.
Fact or Fiction?
On 16 February 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user Zafar Naqvi (@ZafarNaqviZN) shared (archive) a screenshot of a Geo News bulletin claiming that Imran Khan has given the following statement about Maulana Fazlur Rehman:
“مولانا نیک انسان ہیں، مجھے ان کیخلاف فیض اور باجوہ نے اکسایا، عمران خان کا جیل میں پیغام
[Maulana is a good person, Faiz and Bajwa incited me against him, Imran Khan’s message from jail]”
Soch Fact Check found the claim to be false. Geo News Urdu’s Head of Digital Output, Manzar Elahi confirmed to us that the screenshot is doctored. “This is fake. Geo News never reported such statements quoting Imran Khan or Maulana Fazlur Rehman,” he said.
A Google search of the statement did not show any results either, ascertaining that such a statement was not reported by any credible media outlets.
Virality:
The claim can be found here, here, here, here and here on X.
The tweet by @ZafarNaqviZN gained significant traction with 30,800 views, 1,100 likes and 359 reposts, as of writing time.
It was also found here, here, here, here and here on Facebook.
Conclusion: A viral post claiming to report Imran Khan’s statement about Maulana Fazlur Rehman, General Faiz and Bajwa, is false. The screenshot showing a Geo News bulletin is doctored, and no such statement by Imran Khan has been reported by the news channel.
Correction: A previous version of this article said Imran Khan was sentenced to ten years for the Toshakhana case and 14 years for the cipher case. However, Khan was given ten years in the cipher case and 14 in the Toshakhana case.
Background image in cover photo: Juipakofficial
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