Claim: A photo of a grave shows the final resting place of Liaquat Ali Khan, one of Pakistan’s founding fathers and the country’s first prime minister.
Fact: The grave is in fact of Liaquat Ali Khan’s mother, Mahmuda Begum.
On 28 September 2021, a Facebook user shared a photo of an old, crumbling grave, with a caption written in Urdu that reads as follows:
“کوئی بادشاہ غلط فہمی میں نہ رہے بعد میں یہ حال ہوتا ہے”
[No king should remain in any illusions; this is what happens later]
The post alleges that the photo is of Liaquat Ali Khan’s grave, with the caption implying that no matter who one is, they will be buried without worldly possessions and will face the ‘day of judgement.’
Liaquat Ali Khan served as the prime minister of Pakistan from 1947 to 1951, when he was assassinated in Rawalpindi.
Soch Fact Check was sent a 6 October post on Facebook to verify the claim.
Similar posts cropped up in multiple Facebook groups. The first post appeared in a group called ‘چونا سنٹر [Centre of Flattery]’, which has more than 270,000 members. One of the posts with the highest number of reactions was shared in a group called ‘شرارتیں [Mischief]’, which has upwards of 240,000 members. Another particularly popular post was shared in a group called ‘اچھے لوگوں کی اچھی باتیں [Decent stuff by decent people]’, which has over 270,000 members.
The image has popped up at different times over the years, most notably in 2017, as well as between 3 May 2020 and 4 May 2021. The picture has typically been shared with the following caption:
“وقت کے حکمرانوں کی آنکھیں کھول دینے کے لیے یہ تصویر ہی کافی ہے۔”
[This picture is enough to open the eyes of the rulers of the time]
Other captions that have been included alongside the photo are:
● “جگہ جی لگانے کی یہ دنیا نہیں ہے یہ عبرت کی جا ہے تماشا نہیں ہے”
[This is not a world for one to attach their heart with, it’s a lesson to be learned, it’s not a spectacle]
● “وقت کے حکمرانوں کے لیے آنکھیں کھول دینے والی تصویر اللّه ان کی قبر کو روشن کرے آمین”
[An eye-opening image for the rulers of the time. May Allah illuminate their graves. Amen]
● “وقت کے حکمرانوں کی آنکھیں کھول دینے کے لیے یہ تصویر ہی کافی ہے”
[This picture is enough to open the eyes of the rulers of the time]
● “کوئی بادشاہ غلط فہمی میں نہ رہے بعد میں یہ حال ہوتا ہےرتبے اور عہدے عارضی ہیں سب نے مر کر مٹی میں ایک جیسا ہو جانا ہے”
[No king should have any misunderstandings. This is what happens later. The ranks and positions are temporary. Everyone will die and become the same in the ground]
● “اس دنیا کے سارے راستے قبرستان کی طرف جاتے ہیں چاہے وہ امیر کے محل سے نکلتے ہوں یا غریب کی جھونپڑی سے”
[All the roads in this world lead to the graveyard, whether it is from the palace of the rich or from the hut of the poor]
● “آخر هر ڪنهن کي هلڻو آهي”
[Translated from Sindhi, it means, ‘Everyone has to go one day’]
A CrowdTangle analysis revealed that there have been tens of thousands of interactions with hundreds of posts that carry one or more of the aforementioned captions.
Soch Fact Check ascertained that the image is not of Liaquat Ali Khan’s grave but that of his mother, Mahmuda Begum (alternatively Mahmoodah Begum). Khan is, however, buried in Jinnah’s Mausoleum (Mazaar-e-Quaid) in Karachi.
Using Google Reverse Image Search, Soch Fact Check traced the photo back to 2017, when a person named Nasir Ramzan Gujjar posted it on Twitter with the caption, “Most shameful moments for all of us, grave of #LiaqatAliKhan.”
Gujjar, who shared the image on 24 September 2017, mentions on his Twitter profile that his political affiliation is with the Quaid-e-Azam faction of the Pakistan Muslim League, or PML-Q, which is perhaps why he tagged Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, the son of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, one of the party’s top leaders, in his tweet.
Shortly afterwards, the image appeared with the same caption in a WordPress blog, which appears to be run by someone called Arshad Chinioti. The blog post was published on 17 November 2017, a day after which a Facebook page called ‘Islam is peaceful religion’ also shared it.
The photo also surfaced last year on a Siasat.pk discussion forum and YouTube.
Interestingly, the captions in the list mentioned previously also feature alongside pictures shared online of Kuwaiti businessperson Nasser Al-Kharafi, Pakistani pop singer Junaid Jamshed, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, and Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, among others.
Soch Fact Check investigated the claims about the photo by enlarging the image, reducing the noise, adding a neon glow, and using a black and white filter. Consequently, the text on the tombstone became much clearer. The text reads as follows:
The headstone clearly proves the grave is that of Mahmuda Begum, Liaquat Ali Khan’s mother. However, it is unclear exactly where the grave is located.
Conclusion: The grave belongs to Liaquat Ali Khan’s mother, Mahmuda Begum, and not Liaquat Ali Khan himself. The morbid captions, which assume that the photo depicts Liaquat Ali Khan’s grave, are thus misleading.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article erroneously mentioned that Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in Lahore. It has now been corrected to Rawalpindi.
To submit an appeal on our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com