Viral video shows a crowd praising Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam on the streets of Geneva

Rating Justification

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to find the original clip and contacted senior journalist Sheraz Khan Rajput.

On November 9, several X users shared a video showing Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her father, Nawaz Sharif, on the streets of Geneva, with people seemingly chanting slogans in their praise. However, the video has been dubbed over, as the crowd was actually making negative comments.

On November 6, senior provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb revealed in a presser that the Punjab CM will be leaving for Geneva, Switzerland, to get a medical checkup for a thyroid gland, and added that she was previously hospitalised at the Sharif Medical City in Lahore due to health issues.

HOW IT STARTED

On November 9, a user on X, who appears to be a PML-N supporter based on their previous posts, shared a 24-second video showing Maryam Nawaz and her father, Nawaz Sharif, being escorted through the streets of Geneva.

The video captured Maryam and Nawaz Sharif surrounded by several people, who can be heard chanting slogans of praise, including ‘Mian Sahab, I love you’ and ‘Long live Chief Minister.’

The caption of the post read: “‘Long live Nawaz Sharif’ and ‘Long live Maryam Nawaz’ slogans in Geneva.”

The post garnered 16,700 views and was reshared 137 times.

Additionally, the video was shared by other X users here, here, here, and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, public interest, and the ongoing trend of heckling public figures.

To investigate the video, a reverse image search was conducted to trace the original source, which yielded a November 9, 2024, video posted by an X user, who appeared to be a PTI supporter based on past posts, at 7:23 PM local time.

In the 43-second video, Nawaz Sharif and daughter Maryam could be seen being heckled with anti-government remarks as they made their way to the cars. Background noises, including car horns, could be heard in the video.

The post was captioned: “Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif had a ‘Nawaz Sharif moment’ in Geneva. Everyone, watch and share!”

Critically observing the video shared by the pro-PMLN account, the team concluded it was dubbed due to an apparent lack of background noises, such as that of cars crossing by and horn sounds, suggesting the audio had been recorded in a studio.

Reaching out to veteran journalist and fact-checking trainer Sheraz Khan Rajput, he gave the following analysis: “The original video, 43 seconds in length, captures both Nawaz Sharif’s and Maryam Nawaz’s reactions, showing clear indications of discomfort, likely due to an unpleasant experience. The video also contains various ambient sounds, including the hum of air, vehicle noises, and the sounds of car doors closing,” he said. “In contrast, the manipulated version is shortened to 24 seconds, notably omitting the scenes showing Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz’s body language. Additionally, it lacks all ambient noise. Also, if you listen closely, you can hear a distinct mic cut-off sound immediately following the narrator’s closing statement. Based on these discrepancies, I conclude that the audio in the second video has been altered.”

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her father were surrounded by supporters in the streets of Geneva is false.

The video has been dubbed over.

Evidence and References

November 9, 2024, Original video shared by PTI supporter:

https://perma.cc/XDL4-KXSL