Claim: A video on Facebook claims Shehbaz Sharif asked Imran Khan to help raise funds for flood victims in Pakistan. The video also claims the government urged Imran Khan to collect donations because large amounts of donations are being withheld by Pakistanis as well as foreign countries and organisations due to mistrust of the current coalition government and corrupt politicians, who have previously embezzled funds meant for relief and development.
Fact: Shehbaz Sharif did not ask Imran Khan for help to raise funds for flood victims. The Pakistan government has received large amounts of foreign aid from countries and organisations around the world upon the Prime Minister’s appeal.
Soch Fact Check has investigated the claims mentioned above; however, we have not fact checked allegations of embezzling and claims about corruption.
Fact or Fiction?
On 28 August 2022, Facebook page MyDiary shared an 8 minute 15 second video with the title “شہباز شریف نے عمران خان سے مدد مانگ لیا” [Shehbaz Sharif has asked Imran Khan for help].
The page’s bio states “i love imran khan”. A content analysis of the page revealed a consistent pattern of one-sided unverified claims and misinformation in favor of PTI against other political parties and actors.
Shehbaz Sharif has not called upon Imran Khan for help. To provide relief to flood victims, the Prime Minister has set up a flood relief fund, calling upon individuals in Pakistan and around the world to donate. He has announced the establishment of a National Flood Response & Coordination Center to provide an institutional response to the calamity. The Center will comprise of Federal Ministers, Chief Ministers, representatives of the Armed forces and experts, he claims.
Neither Imran Khan nor Shehbaz Sharif has released any public statement regarding the latter asking the former for help, nor has any news outlet reported such a call. On Tuesday, 29 August 2022, Imran Khan called upon his supporters for a fundraising telethon. The telethon received over PKR 500 crore in donations within the first day. Statistics on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s relief fund are not publicly available.
While some organisations and foreign countries may have concerns about the management of aid, Pakistan is recieveing support. It is inaccurate to say that international aid is being withheld due to fear of misappropriation of funds. For example, the President of UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged support to Pakistan and provided food, tents and medical supplies. The Khaled Bin Walid Foundation and UAE Red Crescent have also provided assistance in relief work in flood-affected areas. The President of Iran, Syed Ebrahim Raisi, also pledged all-out support in relief assistance. Turkey has also announced sending humanitarian aid and supplies to Pakistan. The United States announced $100,000 in immediate relief and an additional $1 million to build resilience against natural disasters. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, offered his support to Pakistan and the United Kingdom has promised £1.5 million for relief efforts.
In addition to assistance received via bilateral relations, international organisations have also provided aid to Pakistan for flood relief. The Prime Minister held a meeting attended by representatives from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations, and the World Health Organization, among others. The Prime Minister’s Office announced that international organizations and financial institutions pledged to provide “immediate assistance of more than $500 million for the flood victims on the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif”. The World Bank has pledged relief aid of $350 million, the World Food Program announced the provision of $110 million for rescue and relief operations, the Asian Development Bank announced $20 million. Earlier, the European Union announced the provision of PKR 76 million to Pakistan.
It is, therefore, false to state that the current government is not receiving donations from the international community due to mistrust of funds.
Virality
Soch Fact Check conducted a CrowdTangle analysis for the 7-day period since 27 August to 2 September using the search term “شہباز شریف نے عمران خان سے مدد مانگ لیا”. The search turned up 128,274 interactions across 61 posts. The original video received 941,000 views, 94,000 reactions, and 31,000 shares. It has also been shared here.
Conclusion: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not ask Imran Khan to help raise funds for flood victims. International organisations and countries are not withholding funds due to fear of corruption. Pakistan has received large donations from international organisations and sovereign states following the Prime Minister’s appeal.