Claim: A video shows singer Muhammad Ashraf Malik, also commonly known as Malkoo, under arrest after performing at a concert in Sargodha.
Fact: The singer was not arrested, but was in fact escorted out of the venue by the Sargodha Police.
Fact or Fiction?
On 14 December 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user Shakir Mehmood Awan (@ShakirAwan88) posted a video claiming that singer Malkoo was arrested.
The tweet reads as follows:
“قیدی نمبر 804 گانا کیوں گایا۔۔ملکو کو گرفتار کرلیا گیا۔۔ان کا کیس بھی ملٹری کورٹس میں چلنا چاہیے [Why did he sing prisoner number 804 song. Malkoo was arrested. His case should also be tried in military courts].”
Soch Fact Check found the claim to be false as the Sargodha Police has denied reports of Malkoo’s arrest. On 14 December, a tweet from the Sargodha Police’s official X account stated that the singer was being escorted out of the venue by the police due to “rush” and that social media activists misrepresented the incident for publicity.
Most importantly, the singer himself has denied claims of his arrest. Sifting through Malkoo’s TikTok account we found that he denied reports of his arrest on 13 December. In another video, the singer elaborated that the police were providing protection to him in Sargodha, but people spread false news that he was arrested.
Malkoo is a Pakistani pop, Punjabi bhangra and folk singer. In one of his Punjabi songs called Nak Da Koka, the singer acknowledges “prisoner number 804 of Adiala jail”, the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan and criticises his political opponents and former allies. The viral tweet implied that the arrest of the singer was linked to him performing this song.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief was arrested from his residence on 5 August 2023 in Lahore after a court sentenced him to three years in jail for illegally selling state gifts. Khan has remained in jail since then.
Virality:
The video with the false claim can be found here, here, here and here on X.
The tweet by @ShakirAwan88 gained significant traction with 433,600 views, 5,900 likes and 3,200 reposts.
On Facebook, the claim was shared here, here, here and here.
Conclusion: Punjabi singer Malkoo was not arrested after his concert in Sargodha. Both the singer and Sargodha Police have denied the claim, clarifying that the police were providing security and protection to the singer during his exit from the venue.
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