Viral video of PML-N’s Saad Rafique speaking in Imran Khan’s favour

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has checked this content and has established that it is false.

To arrive at this verdict, the iVerify Pakistan team has sourced the original video and PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique’s clarification himself.

HOW IT STARTED

On April 22, 2024, a fan page of anchor Imran Riaz shared a video on X with the caption: “Great testimony in favour of Imran Khan. Imran Khan’s government was overthrown by conspiracy, what is the sin of Imran Khan that he was building modern Pakistan, said Khawaja Saad Rafique.”

In the video, Rafique can be heard saying at the 22-second mark: “Imran Khan was disqualified through a concerted plan. What did he do? What was Imran Khan’s fault? that he wanted to build a modern Pakistan?”

The video garnered over 34,000 views.

The video with a similar caption was shared here, here, here and here with a total of over 22,000 combined views.

The social media users who posted this claim appeared to be PTI supporters from their previous posts.

METHODOLOGY

The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim due to the video’s virality as well as the seemingly contrarian nature of the video with a senior PML-N leader expressing support for staunch rival Imran.

The team’s investigation yielded an April 22 post on X from Rafique himself addressing the video.

“This speech is almost two years old. PTI fraudsters edited it,” he said, adding that Imran’s name was placed over the part where he was actually talking about “injustices” against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

“In fraud, lies and conspiracy, there is no one second to the PTI. This illegal act will be prosecuted by FIA,” Rafique said.

The team did not find any news reports or stories on Rafique speaking in Imran’s favour on April 22 as mentioned in the edited video.

The team traced the original speech of the PML-N leader to a Lahore press conference on December 26, 2022.

At the 4:05-minute mark of a Samaa TV video of the address, Rafique said: “Nawaz Sharif was disqualified through a concerted plan. What did he do? What was Nawaz Sharif’s fault? that he wanted to build a modern Pakistan?”

CONCLUSION

The iVerify Pakistan team has determined that the claim of Rafique favouring Imran and admitting to his removal from power through a planned scheme is false.

Rafique himself clarified that the viral video in question is doctored and he was originally referring to PML-N supremo Nawaz in his speech.

Evidence and References

Khawaja Saad Rafique April 22, 2024, X post:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240424102614/https://twitter.com/KhSaad_Rafique/status/1782344418818724330

December 26, 2022, Samaa video of Khawaja Saad Rafique’s address:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_yGlzh7GbI