Claim: An image of Fawad Chaudhry’s wife, Hiba Chaudhry, was shared on Twitter with a caption that claims they have arrived at Zaman Park in Lahore for a protest after Fawad Chaudhry was arrested.
Fact: The claim is false, as ARY News aired a full press conference of her wearing the same clothes that day and various sources including pictures of her in Islamabad at the time.
On 25 January 2023, an image of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry’s wife, Hiba Chaudhry, alongside other PTI leaders, was shared on Twitter with an Urdu caption that translates to, “Fawad Chaudhry’s wife has reached Zaman Park, all other PTI members have also arrived.” The caption refers to a 25 January 2023 protest held at Zaman Park, Imran Khan’s Lahore residence, after Fawad Chaudhry was arrested under sedition charges.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check used Google Reverse Image Search and found that the image in question is a still from a videos clip of Hiba Chaudhry speaking right outside the F-8 district court in Islamabad, where she spoke to several news organizations, including ARY News and Arab News. In these images and videos, Hiba Chaudhry can be seen wearing the same clothes as the ones in the photograph shared in the claim.
ARY News aired a full press conference at the Islamabad District and Sessions court on 25 January, where Hiba Chaudhry can be seen wearing the same clothes. It would not be possible for her to attend the press conference in Islamabad, follow-up with her husband’s medical examination at PIMS, go to the F-8 district court and then travel to Zaman Park the same evening. In these videos, as well as the press conference, she stated she came to Islamabad as her husband was brought there to be presented in the F-8 district court.
Claims alleging that she was in Zaman Park on the night of Fawad Chaudhry’s arrest are false since she was in Islamabad.
Virality
Soch Fact Check conducted a CrowdTangle analysis for the 2-day period since 25 January 2023 to 26 January 2023 using the following search terms:
- “Fawad Chaudhry” “wife” “Zaman Park”
- فواد چوہدری“ ”اہلیہ“ ”زمان پارک”
We found the claim shared on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
On Twitter we found that it was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: Fawad Chaudhry’s wife went to Islamabad after him, following his arrest. She was not in Zaman Park on the night of 25 January 2023.