Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz carrying out construction of mansion in secret

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 contacted the Punjab government for comment on the matter.

Multiple posts circulating on social media platform X on July 8, 2024, shared a video, alleging that it showed a mansion of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz under construction in secret. However, the Punjab government officially clarified that the property belonged to a private citizen.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 8, PTI leader Zubair Niazi shared a video on X with the caption: “I was called here by a contractor for work. Video-making is prohibited here. Maryam Nawaz is secretly preparing a palace for her that is also bulletproof, ordinary citizen.”

The post gained over 400,000 views.

The video showed a person driving on a road, claiming that he would show the “new office” of the Punjab chief minister. Nearing an under-construction property, he said filming was prohibited there and alleged that a “mansion of Maryam Nawaz” was being built behind the walled property.

He alleged that there were multiple other mansions being constructed.

Notably, neither the video nor the PTI leader’s post mentioned the area, location or any other details of the property and also did not provide any proof or evidence for their claims.

No PML-N-associated imagery was also spotted in the video.

The video was subsequently shared by an X user, who appeared to be a PTI supporter based on her past posts, and a fan page for anchorperson Sabir Shakir, accruing views of over 170,000 and 22,000, respectively.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and the nature of the serious allegation directed at a senior government official such as the Punjab chief minister.

Furthermore, users in the comments section of Niazi’s post, who identified themselves as PTI supporters, pointed out that the property had nothing to do with CM Maryam.

Dawn.com correspondent Imran Gabol reached out to the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office to which he was directed to a July 8 X post of Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari as the government’s “official statement” on the matter.

In the post, the Punjab government spokesperson said: “This is someone’s private property. It has nothing to do with the Sharif family.”

Meanwhile, the PML-N shared a video of a supposed construction worker at the property who responded upon questioning that the under-construction project belonged to someone named “Mian Usman” and not the Punjab chief minister.

However, both Bokhari and the PML-N’s responses on the matter also did not provide details about the area, site and location of the property.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding the secretive construction of a mansion for Punjab CM Maryam is false.

The Punjab information minister officially responded to the allegation and said the under-construction property belonged to a private individual and not CM Maryam.

Evidence and References

Azma Bokhari July 8, 2024 X post:
https://perma.cc/V3A4-H8KQ

PML-N July 8, 2024, X post:
https://perma.cc/23YH-N3LL