iVerify debunks old video of Esakhelvi shared ahead of PTI's protest

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last year |  JP Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—iVerify Pakistan, a fact-checking initiative by the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) and UNDP has dismissed as old and misleading a video circulating on social media featuring singer Attaullah Esakhelvi allegedly urging support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) November 24 protest.

The viral video, shared by several PTI-affiliated accounts on social media platform X since November 17, 2024, was determined to be from March 2022. iVerify Pakistan utilized reverse image search techniques to authenticate the video's origin, concluding that it was being misrepresented.

A digital platform, Naya Pakistan, posted the video with the caption: “Get out for the sake of Pakistan. Go forth for the sake of your Khan.” The post received significant traction, garnering over 185,000 views and being reshared 13,000 times.

Compounding the misinformation, a doctored version of the video surfaced on social media, shared by anti-PTI users. In this altered version, Esakhelvi appears to criticize PTI and its leadership, saying: “Step out for Qasim and Suleman. Step out for Tyrian. We are not shameless enough to send our children to die on the streets while Imran’s Jewish children live lavishly in Britain. Shame on you, Imran Khan. Stop the politics of corpses. Long live Pakistan!”

This manipulated clip, posted on X on November 18, accrued 25,600 views and was amplified by musician Jawad Ahmed, chairman of the Barabri Pakistani Party, who shared it with an audience of 64,100 viewers.

iVerify Pakistan, a non-partisan initiative supported by UNDP and managed by CEJ at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi, aims to counter misinformation through rigorous fact-checking. The team continues to call for responsible social media use and critical evaluation of information before sharing.

Photo credit: umw.edu.pk