PTI supporters beat up, manhandle former JI emir Sirajul Haq in Peshawar

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team reached out to the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) to corroborate the matter.

A video was shared on July 26, 2024, by multiple users on social media platform X, claiming that it showed former JI emir Sirajul Haq attacked by PTI supporters in Peshawar. However, JI officials confirmed nothing of the sort occurred and the video was from an old and unrelated incident.

The JI is currently holding a sit-in in Rawalpindi against exorbitant electricity bills and power agreements with independent power producers.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 16, 2024, an account, that appeared to be anti-PTI based on its past posts, shared a video with the caption: “Sirajul Haq, former leader of Jamaat-i-Islami, was assaulted by PTI workers in Peshawar. It is unfortunate that Sirajul Haq was attacked by a PTI MPA. We were supporting PTI, but in Peshawar, Sirajul Haq was slapped and his collar was torn: JI Emir Hafiz Naeem.

“Sirajul Haq was on his way to Islamabad with his companions when MPA Fazal Elahi, along with his associates, attacked him. Maintaining peace is the responsibility of the provincial government: JI Emir Hafiz Naeem.”

The video showed Haq being led away to a car while circled by people protecting him. The post offered no other details about the alleged incident such as its date.

The post gained over 223,000 views.

The same video with the same caption was also shared by the account for the PML-N’s social media team for Sahiwal.

Another user also shared the video with a similar caption, wracking up over 38,000 views. However, the user admitted that the video was an older one while maintaining that the alleged incident of Haq’s manhandling was a recent one.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of a claim due to its viral nature and keen public interest due to its relevance with the JI’s ongoing sit-in and because of doubts about the video and incident’s veracity based on the admission by one account sharing it.

Contacted for corroboration, JI’s Secretary Information Qaisar Sharif said: “The video is four years old. It dated back to a public gathering in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Haq was surrounded by party workers once the gathering was over.”

JI’s social media head Shamsuddin Amjad confirmed the same, saying: “The chaos was created as party workers were trying to meet Haq following the end of the protest.”

They also pointed out that the current emir did not issue any statements regarding the video or alleged incident.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding a video of PTI supporters attacking former JI chief Sirajul Haq in Peshawar or incumbent emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman’s comments about the incident is false.

Party officials confirmed the video was old and did not show the politician getting attacked, further saying that the remarks attributed to Rehman were also fake.

Evidence and References