Claim: A viral video shows an employee at a Crusteez doughnut shop praising Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa for “exposing those receiving Israeli funding.”
Fact: The clip is doctored; the original video actually captures the employee cursing at the chief justice.
On 25 September 2024, a video began circulating on social media showing Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa visiting a Crusteez doughnut shop in Islamabad’s Blue Area. In this original video, which quickly went viral, an employee can be heard cursing at the Chief Justice after recognizing him.
Two days later, on 27 September 2024, social media users began sharing what they claimed was the “full” or “original” version of the video. This new version purportedly showed the shop employee praising the Chief Justice, saying “salute to you,” “[for] the way you exposed those receiving Israeli funding”.
However, this narrative contradicts widespread reports from earlier in the week about an incident where a Crusteez employee allegedly disrespected the Chief Justice.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check‘s investigation reveals that the “praising” video is doctored, and the original incident indeed involved the employee cursing at the Chief Justice.
Our analysis of the first viral video, which was shared widely on 25 September 2024, confirms that it shows the employee saying “curse you” to the Chief Justice. This version was reported by mainstream news outlets including Dawn News, ProPakistani, Aaj English and Geo News, lending credibility to its authenticity.
The most compelling evidence comes from Crusteez itself. The company released an apology statement on their social media platforms, confirming that an employee had refused service and acted disrespectfully towards a customer. While the statement did not explicitly name Chief Justice Isa, it aligns with the narrative of the original video. Such an apology would be unnecessary if the employee had indeed praised the Chief Justice.
Upon examining the “praising” video, we found clear signs of audio manipulation. The background fan noise appears to be looped and artificially placed beneath a new voice-over. Additionally, a woman’s voice, clearly audible in the original video, is abruptly cut off at the 62-second mark in the doctored version.
Further evidence of manipulation comes from comparing the lengths of the two videos. The original video is 75 seconds long, while the doctored “praising” version is shorter at 70 seconds, indicating it was cropped or tampered with.
Interestingly, both versions carry an “EHTASHAMABBASI” watermark, despite claiming to be different “original” versions.
Political context
The incident and subsequent viral videos come amid growing political tensions in Pakistan, particularly surrounding Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Since assuming office in September 2023, CJP Isa has made several decisions that have caused controversy and often polarised public opinion.
For example, in January 2024, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Isa, annulled the Peshawar High Court’s order that had reinstated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s bat symbol for the upcoming elections. This decision was hailed by many but severely criticised by others for being unprecedented and negatively impacting PTI’s participation in the general elections. The court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to revoke the symbol due to irregularities in PTI’s internal elections. This judgement led to significant backlash from various quarters of the judiciary andmade the chief justice Isa a controversial figure among members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its supporters.
In another recent verdict related to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, Isa’s remarks in favour of granting bail to a member of the minority Ahmadi community accused of blasphemy led to a severe backlash from the religious right and even threats against the Chief Justice’s life. Regarding the backlash, Arab News Pakistan reported, “In February this year, hundreds of supporters from religious groups led by the TLP rallied to protest against what they said were blasphemous remarks by Isa in a case against a member of the minority Ahmadi community.” On the other hand, his decision was supported by rights groups and civil society members.
The incident at the Crusteez doughnut shop and subsequent viral disinformation come in the context of these broader tensions. The original video of an employee cursing at the Chief Justice resonated with those critical of his recent decisions. Conversely, the doctored video praising him for “exposing those receiving Israeli funding” appears to be an attempt to counter this narrative and portray public support for the Chief Justice’s actions.
Virality
The initial video of the incident, shared on 25 September by Ehtesham Ali Abbasi, a self-described crime reporter at Bol TV, garnered over 750,000 views and 7,500 shares on X (formerly Twitter).
The doctored “praising” version began circulating on 27 September, shared across multiple social media platforms including Facebook and X. It gained traction particularly among supporters of CJP Isa’s recent judicial decisions.
On Facebook, the doctored video was shared here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The claim that the Crusteez employee praised Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa is false. The video purporting to show this praise is a doctored version of the original incident, where the employee actually cursed at the Chief Justice.
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Background image in cover photo: ABC News
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