Claim: A still from a longer, leaked video features MNA Mubarak Zeb Khan and a woman in an intimate act.
Fact: The still is from a Spanish short film Julia, which appeared online as early as September 2019, and the actor does not bear any resemblance to MNA Mubarak Zeb Khan.
X user @CivicDominance shared an image (archive) of a man and woman in an intimate setting, writing,
“مبارک زیب کی اپنے بھائی کا خون بیچنے کی وجہ سامنے آگئی۔فوج کے پاس سب سے بڑا ہتھیار وڈیوز ہی ہوتا ہے کیونکہ انسان بہک جاتا ہے اور آئی ایس ائی میں قابلیت ہے وہ بہکے ہوئے مرد کی جلدی وڈیو ریکارڈ کرلیتے ہیں۔”
[Translated from Urdu: The reason why Mubarak Zeb sold his brother’s blood has come to light. The army’s greatest weapon is videos because people tend to go astray, and ISI has the capability to quickly record a video of such a man.]
The image has been shared widely on social media with accusatory captions.
Facebook user Asma Pti shared the image (archive), writing, “یہ میں باجوڑ کی عوام کی خاطر کر رہا ہوں۔ مبارک زیب”
[Translated from Urdu: I’m doing this for the people of Bajaur – Mubarak Zeb.]
Mubarak Zeb Khan
Born in November 1998, Mubarak Zeb Khan entered politics in 2024 as an independent candidate for the Provincial Assembly in the National Assembly Constituencies NA-8 and PK-22 after his elder brother’s tragic murder. Mubarak Zeb’’s brother Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was killed in a targeted attack while campaigning in January 2024, a week before the general elections. District police informed CNN that gunmen opened fire on Rehan Zeb’s car in a market in Bajaur.
Mubarak Zeb secured a decisive victory, receiving 74,008 votes in NA-8 and 23,386 votes in PK-22, becoming the youngest member of the National Assembly (MNA) in Bajaur’s history at the age of 25-and-a-half.
Determined to honour his late brother’s legacy, Mubarak Zeb pledged to seek justice for his brother’s murder and vowed to prioritise infrastructure development, the establishment of educational institutions in Tehsil Barang, especially for girls, Tribal News Network’s report stated. He also declared his plans to consult with his constituents before making decisions on potential party affiliations and his commitment to Imran Khan’s vision for the people.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched the image to determine its origin and traced it to a pornographic website. The video, titled “Elena Diego, Erika Ramiro – Julia (2018) HD 1080p,” indicated that it originated from a film.
The website featured multiple stills from the film, including the viral image and others from the same scene. Upon reviewing these stills, it became evident that the individual in the viral image is not Mubarak Zeb and bears no resemblance to him.
Additionally, a keyword search using the video’s title led us to the short film, shared on Vimeo as early as September 2019, by filmmaker John Aguiler. In the film’s credits, Gonzalo Alarcia is listed as the actor featured in the scene.
Therefore, Soch Fact Check confirms that the image in the viral claim features Alarcia and not Mubarak Zeb Khan. The claim in the caption is false.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, here, here, here, and here.
It was shared here, here, and here on X. Archived here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The still does not show Mubarak Zeb Khan engaged in an intimate act with a woman. It is from a Spanish short film, which first appeared online in 2019 and the actor does not bear any resemblance to the MNA.
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Background image in cover photo: Aaj News
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