Screenshot of Dr Zakir Naik quote saying he has been pressured to speak against Imran Khan

Rating Justification

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

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team sourced and referred to the YouTube video that was the origin of the screenshot.

A screenshot doing the rounds on social media on October 10, 2024, was claimed by users to show a statement from prominent religious preacher Dr Zakir Naik that he was pressured to speak against PTI founder Imran Khan but had refused to do so. However, Dr Naik did not make any such statement.

Dr Naik arrived in Pakistan for a month-long visit on September 30. During his stay, he addressed public gatherings in Karachi on October 5 and 6, at the Governor House as well as in Bara Dari.

HOW IT STARTED

On October 10, 2024, iVerify Pakistan was alerted by the public, seeking authentication of a circulating screenshot on social media platforms.

The screenshot was forwarded on social messaging platform WhatsApp and contained the following alleged statement from the preacher: “Coming to Pakistan has been my biggest mistake because here I am being pressured to speak against Imran Khan but I am not shameless.”

The screenshot seemed to be from an interview with anchor Nadeem Malik. However, the forwarded image contained no other details such as the date, timing or title of the interview.

The same screenshot was also shared on Facebook and X, both by users who appeared to be PTI supporters based on their past posts.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to verify the veracity of the claim to satisfy the public’s query for authentication and also because of keen public interest in the former prime minister and the religious preacher.

A reverse image search conducted to determine the source of the screenshot led to a YouTube video dated October 5, 2024, featuring the same image as its thumbnail.

The video was checked to determine if the content in the interview matched the statement attributed to Dr Naik in the screenshot and thumbnail.

Checking the video showed that in the initial part of the clip, the speaker attributed the same quote as in the thumbnail to Dr Naik.

However, a thorough review of the 10-minute interview segment showed no reference to Imran in the conversation or anything remotely similar to the attributed statement.

The video was in turn from a longer interview on October 2 on Samaa TV programme ‘Nadeem Malik Live’.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that Dr Zakir Naik said he was pressured to speak against PTI founder Imran Khan is false.

The religious preacher did not make any such statement in the video whose thumbnail was being shared on social media platforms with a fake quote attributed to Dr Naik.

Evidence and References

October 5, 2024, Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CODycvgq84&t=1s