Claim: During a heated speech in the National Assembly, Shazia Marri allegedly said, “Release Imran Khan, or you’ll have to face Trump’s wrath.”
Fact: This claim is false. The embedded text in the video does not match what Marri said in her National Assembly speech from August 2024. In fact, she originally criticised PTI members and Imran Khan and not the Prime Minister or the PML-N.
Social media users shared a video of PPP member Shazia Marri’s speech in the National Assembly, which contains the text, “عمران خان کو رہا کر دو ورنہ Trump سے جوتے کھا کے چھوڑنا پڑے گا بوٹ چاٹ بھکاری بھاگتا کہاں ہے۔۔۔”
[Translation: Release Imran Khan, or you’ll have to face Trump’s wrath. Boot-licking beggar, where are you running off to?]
The text creates the impression that Marri spoke in favour of releasing Imran Khan… during her speech. At 0:15, the video cuts to a quick scene showing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar seated next to each other, creating the impression that Marri’s words were directed at them.
Rising tensions between the PPP and PML-N
Shazia Marri, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), currently serves as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-209 Sanghar-I. Since December 2024, Marri has strongly criticised the PML-N’s federal government, warning that the PPP may withdraw its support over unfulfilled commitments and a lack of joint consultation on key decisions. In the same instance, she condemned the government’s unilateral establishment of the Pakistan Maritime and Shipping Port Authority without informing the PPP or the Sindh government, and highlighted it as part of a broader pattern of sidelining allies.
Additionally, she warned that if the government backtracked on its commitments regarding the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), the PPP would not only boycott the upcoming budget but take a more serious step, according to Dawn. Labelling the coalition as the weakest government in history, she asserted that it fails to recognise how much it relies on the PPP’s support.
These remarks come amid growing friction between the two parties, with past meetings between their leaderships failing to resolve disputes. The claim we are fact-checking has possibly emerged in context of this contentious relationship between the PPP and PML-N.
Fact or Fiction?
The accompanying text in the video claimed that Shazia Marri said, “Release Imran Khan, or you’ll have to face Trump’s wrath. Boot-licking beggar, where are you running off to?” However, Marri does not say anything of the sort in the video in the claim itself.
Some of her statements included: “Aap ne jo chooran baicha, aaj aap us par baat bhi nahi kartay. Na kisi ki pagri chori, na kisi ka dupatta chora, na kisi ki chaadar chori. Ab hum yeh bardasht nahi kareinge. Baitho aur ab suno. Mohab-e-watan woh hai jis ke karkoonan ko jailon mein daala gaya. Aap ne hadh kardi hai dhitayi ki. Yeh jo aap thobray lekar ajatay hain roz yahan par, it’s a shame. Mujhe aap ki takleef pata hai. Hum bhi kisi ke nakhray bardasht nahi kartay. Aap se waqi hi Pakistan ko panah chahiye. Aur mein jaanti hoon ke aap ki naukri bohat zaroori hai.”
[Translation: You sold the fake medicine, and today you don’t even talk about it. You didn’t leave anyone’s turban, nor anyone’s scarf or sheet. We will not tolerate this anymore. Sit down and listen now. A true patriot is one whose workers were imprisoned. You have crossed all limits of audacity. It’s shameful that you come here every day with your faces. I know your troubles. We don’t tolerate anyone’s tantrums either. Pakistan really needs protection from you. And I know that your job is very important.]
We then investigated the video further as it is oddly edited, with different parts of her speech spliced and edited together, and some sections are even looped. Therefore, we traced the original video to watch her complete speech and confirm whether it was even aimed at the PML-N government at all.
Soch Fact Check found the original footage on YouTube, shared by Samaa TV in August 2024. The recording begins with a wide-angled shot of Marri which confirmed that the video in the claim is from this same speech. The people around Marri, her own attire, and the surroundings of the Parliament House are identical in both videos. The only difference is that the footage in the viral video has been mirrored from right to left.
When we reviewed the full footage it became clear that Shazia Marri’s speech was directed towards PTI members and the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. For instance, she criticised the PTI’s government in the state of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saying, “Aap ne jo Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ka hashar kiya hai. Allah na karay ke kabhi aap ko mauqa milay kyun ke aap ne Pakistan ke saath bhi yehi karna hai.” [ The way you have ruined Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. God forbid, may you never get the chance, because you will do the same to Pakistan.]
Referring to Imran Khan, she said, “Pakistan ke masail uss ek aadmi se bohat baray hain jis ka rona roz rotay ho tum log. Bohat baray hain humaray masail.” [Pakistan’s problems are much bigger than that one man you all cry about every day. Our problems are much bigger.]
After reviewing the original footage, we concluded that the video in the claim was edited by splicing and looping different sections of Marri’s speech in the National Assembly from August 2024.
Given that Marri’s speech predates Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election held in November 2024, she could not have referred to him or his wrath, as the election outcome was unknown at the time.
Neither the original footage nor the video in the claim show her saying anything about facing Trump’s wrath if Imran Khan is not released from prison.
Lastly, her criticism was not aimed at the incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or even at the PML-N; it was against the PTI. In fact, Shehbaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar never appear in the original footage of Marri’s speech. The viral clip was edited to create the false impression that Marri was criticising them.
Virality
The claim gained significant traction on Facebook receiving over 3,360,000 views and 150,000 shares. It was shared here, here, here, and here. Archived here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The video of Shazia Marri’s speech in the National Assembly dates back to August 2024 and it does not show her calling for Khan’s release or mentioning Trump at any point. In fact, she originally criticised members of the PTI and Imran Khan.
–
Background image in cover photo: Shazia Atta Marri/Facebook
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com