Claim: A video shows Nawaz Sharif belittling Khawaja Asif during a press conference.
Fact: Nawaz Sharif did not mock Khawaja Asif or the recent attempt of an attack on him. The posts show only a part of his statement from a longer recording of a press conference, and share it in a false context. In the complete statement, Sharif, in fact, condemned the harassment of Khawaja Asif and other Pakistani officials in Britain.
X user @OfficialShehr shared a video (archive) of Nawaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, and Maryam Nawaz during a press conference, writing, “جس طرح سے اپ کے ساتھ ہوا وہ اپ کے نصیب میں لکھا ہوا تھا نواز شریف کی خواجہ صاحب کو تسلی 😆😆”
[Translated from Urdu: The way that happened to you was written in your destiny Nawaz Sharif’s consolation to Khawaja Sahib 😆😆]
In the video, Nawaz Sharif, seated in the middle, can be heard saying, “Unkay saath jo sulooq kiya gaya… jis tareeqay se sulooq kiya gaya, yeh unkay naseeb mein likha hua hai. Yeh naseeb mein likha hua hai.” [The treatment they were subjected to… the way they were treated, this was written in their fate. This is their fate.”]
Khawaja Asif attacked in London
In November, a video circulated on social media showing Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif being heckled and threatened with a knife attack in London, sparking widespread condemnation from PML-N supporters, according to The News. The report added that sources close to the minister confirmed the incident to Geo News, stating that the video, which showed the defence minister being threatened and mistreated, “is authentic.”
The report also included footage from a Geo News segment in which a man is heard threatening the defense minister with a potential knife attack in London. The man also swears at the minister as he disembarks from the train. In the segment, Geo News correspondent Murtaza Ali Shah stated that the incident occurred on the Elizabeth Line near Southall, an area with a significant Indian and Pakistani community. Shah addeds that Asif was accompanied by a friend during the train journey.
Khawaja Asif reported the incident to police in London. The Pakistan High Commission confirmed that the case has been referred to the London Transport Police for investigation, with CCTV footage being reviewed to identify the culprits, according to Dawn. Asif described the incident as distressing and called for condemnation and prompt action to address such alarming behaviour, the report added.
Pakistani officials heckled in London
Following Imran Khan’s removal from office in 2022, PTI supporters staged a protest outside the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s residence in London in April 2022. The demonstration escalated into a heated confrontation between PTI and PML-N supporters, with both sides exchanging slurs and slogans against each other’s leadership outside the Avenfield flats.
Since then, protests outside Sharif’s residence and incidents of PML-N officials facing harassment in London have become frequent. In September 2022, The Express Tribune reported that PTI supporters heckled former Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb at a café in London. Viral videos from the incident showed a woman hurling abuse at Aurangzeb while others recorded her, with the minister remaining calm and using her mobile phone during the ordeal, the report stated.
In August 2023, PML-N leader Hina Parvez Butt was heckled by a group, whom she identified as PTI supporters, while she was with her son in a public place in London, according to Dunya News. Butt shared a video of the incident on social media, condemning the individuals involved as “uncivilised.” According to the report, she alleged that the group used abusive language and even hurled bottles at her during the confrontation.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched the viral video and found a recent presser shared by Samaa TV on YouTube, with the title “Breaking News: PML-N Leader Nawaz Sharif Slams PTI Over Its Unfulfilled Promises.” The footage shows Sharif seated alongside his daughter and the incumbent Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz, and Khawaja Asif.
At 6:11, Sharif referred to PTI workers and supporters and addressed the recent incident involving Khawaja Asif, saying:
“Abhi kal parson jo Khawaja sahab ke saath jis tareeqay se sulooq kiya gaya, unkay naseeb mein likha hai. Yeh naseeb mein likha hua hai yeh ke aap nay logon ke caron ke peechay bhaagna hai. Aur koi kaam nahi hai bas gaariyon ka taaqub karna hai. Naaray laganay hain. Ek jaga kharay hokay murdabad, falaan, tumhe mein yeh dekh lunga, woh kar dunga, bas yeh naray laganay hain.”
[Translation: “The way Khawaja Sahib was treated recently seems to be their fate. Their fate is to run after people’s cars. They have no other work but to chase vehicles, chant slogans, stand in one spot shouting ‘death to this,’ ‘so-and-so,’ ‘I’ll see you,’ and ‘I’ll do this.’ This is all they can do.”]
Continuing to criticise the PTI’s workers and supporters, Sharif further stated, “Training hi yehi hai, grooming hi yehi hai, unkay naseeb mein yeh likha hua hai.” [Translation: “This is the training they have received, this is their grooming, and this is what their fate holds for them.”]
Though Samaa TV’s footage is filmed from a different angle, it is evident from Sharif’s statements that the clip used in the viral claim was taken from this section of the press conference. Footage of the same press conference was also shared here and here on YouTube.
To further verify whether Sharif mocked Asif at any point during the press conference, we conducted a keyword search but did not find any relevant news reports.
Virality
The video was shared widely on Facebook including here, here, here, here, here, and here. Archived here, here, here, here, here, and here.
On X, it was shared here (archive) and here (archive).
Conclusion: The claim that Nawaz Sharif belittled Khawaja Asif at a recent press conference is false. A longer version of the footage revealed Sharif was condemning those who harassed and threatened Asif in London.
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Background image in cover photo: White Starr
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