Claim: A video shows Siraj ul Haq in tears after resigning from his post as chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) after the 8 February general elections in Pakistan.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is actually from 2019 and shows Siraj ul Haq crying after he was re-elected as the chief of his party, JI, for a second time.
On 13 February 2024, the Facebook page Hazara 22 News posted a video with an Urdu caption,
امیر جماعت اسلامی سراج الحق جماعت اسلامی سے استعفیٰ دینے کے بعد بہت زیادہ رو پڑے
[Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Siraj-ul-Haq broke down in tears after resigning from Jamaat-e-Islami].
The 2-minute video shows Siraj ul Haq crying profusely in the presence of several other men in the same room. The video was shared after the JI chief stepped down from his post on 12 February, taking responsibility for his party’s failure to make an impact in the 2024 general elections.
However, as per the latest reports, the Central Majlis-e-Shura of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on 17 February has unanimously declined the resignation saying that Haq will continue his responsibilities as the chief of JI.
Elections 2024
Pakistan’s general elections were held on 8 February 2024. Protests have erupted across the country following allegations of widespread rigging during the general election, which were largely levelled by Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) among other political groups.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate, Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes of the video. The results showed a video published on 22 March 2019 on the YouTube channel, Pak Watan. The video title reads, “Siraj ul Haq crying after being re-elected as Jamaat-e-Islami Chief | Pak Watan”. It shows the same as the one in the viral claim.
A keyword search on Google showed us that Siraj ul Haq was re-elected as the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami in March 2019. First elected chief in 2014, Haq went on to complete his five-year term, only to be re-elected for the position in 2019 for another five years.
This video was also shared on Facebook on 21 March 2019. The Urdu caption, when translated into English, reads, “Siraj-ul-Haq felt the heavy responsibility on his shoulders after being re-elected as the Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami and cried” thereby confirming that the video is not recent, and that it shows Haq in a state of overwhelm after his re-election as the party’s chief in 2019.
The same video was also shared on a Dailymotion channel Awaz Today, on 22 March 2019, which further confirms that it is not recent.
Virality
The old video of Siraj ul Haq was shared with a false caption on Facebook here, here and here.
Conclusion: A video on social media does not show Siraj ul Haq crying after resigning from his post as chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). The video is actually from 2019 when he was re-elected as the chief of JI. It is not recent and has nothing to do with the 2024 general elections.
Background image in cover photo: Arab News
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