Claim: A social media video shows PML-N member Khawaja Saad Rafique making a statement against PM Shehbaz Sharif.
Fact: Rafique did not make a statement against Shehbaz Sharif in a recent press conference. The original clip is from 2022. It has been doctored to include Shehbaz Sharif’s name, whereas it shows Khawaja Saad Rafique taunting PTI leader Imran Khan during a private event.
On 22 April 2024, a Facebook user posted a video with an Urdu caption,
“ایک نجی محفل کی ویڈیو کسی نے ابھی واٸیرل کی سعد رفیق حقائق بتا رہے ہیں. شہباز شریف تم نے ایک دفعہ واردات کردی، تم پھر واردات کرنا چاہتے ہو، کتنے immature آدمی ہو تم، میں آپ کو کیسے سمجھتا تھا اور آپ کیا نکلے، جھوٹ ہی جھوٹ، سعد رفیق نے شہباز شریف کو خوب سنائی۔”
Translated [“Saad Rafique is telling the truth in this video from a private event. Shahbaz Sharif, you committed an offence once, and now you want to commit an offence again, what an immature man you are. What I thought about you and what have you become, lies are lies, Saad Rafiq bashed Shahbaz Sharif.”]
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check investigated the claim because the video appeared to be doctored. At the 0:03 mark of the video, the name “Shehbaz Sharif” does not match the lip sync, and there is a jump cut. After carefully inspecting the video, we reverse-image searched its keyframes. However, no significant findings could be found.
One result led to a tweet by Khawaja Saad Rafique posted on the same day the video was shared. Rafique refuted the claim, stating that the video is nearly two years old. He added that the statement was made against Imran Khan and has been reportedly doctored by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members while stressing that action will be taken through the FIA.
Taking cues from his tweet, Soch Fact Check searched Google and found video reports of the same event from December 2022.
Samaa News published the longer version of the clip on 26 December 2022. In the video, Rafique can be heard making the same statement but takes Imran Khan’s name, not Shehbaz Sharif.
24 News HD uploaded another clip of the same press conference on 26 December 2022 where Saad Rafique spoke at a ceremony commemorating the 50th death anniversary of his father Muhammad Rafique. The doctored clip corresponds with the 10:36 second mark of the original video when Saad Rafique can be seen scolding the former prime minister Imran Khan, saying that he left Pakistan on the edge of default and allowed the establishment to make decisions for the country.
Virality
The doctored video of Saad Rafique received 69,000 views, 1,700 likes and 1,100 reposts on X. It was mostly shared by pro-PTI accounts here, here and here.
It was also shared here, here and here on Facebook and here and here on YouTube.
Conclusion: The video of Khawaja Saad Rafique bashing Shehbaz Sharif is doctored. The original video is of a private event from 2022 when Rafique criticised Imran Khan for taking help from the establishment.
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Background image in cover photo: Getty Images
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