Geo News reports Imran Khan’s apology to Nawaz Sharif

Rating Justification

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

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team critically analysed the clip and conducted a reverse image search to verify if the respective media outlet had reported anything of the sort.

Since December 23, 2024, multiple posts have been circulating on various social media platforms claiming that Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, apologised to Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N supremo. However, the viral news bulletin of the media outlet is fake.

Imran Khan has been imprisoned in Adiala Jail for over a year. His sentences in the previous two Toshakhana cases were suspended, and he was acquitted in the cipher and iddat cases, but he has since been charged in a third Toshakhana case.

On Dec 23, the first meeting between committees representing the government and the opposition PTI took place, initiating long-anticipated talks between the rival parties to defuse prevailing political tensions.

HOW IT STARTED

On December 23, 2024, a video clip was shared on Facebook by a page named PML-N social media, seemingly of a bulletin from the news channel Geo News. It claimed that Imran Khan had apologised to Nawaz Sharif.

The post was viewed by 1.8 million people and received 17,200 likes.

The same video clip was posted on social media platform X here by a user who appeared to be a PML-N supporter according to his past posts.

The post was viewed by more than 60,000 people.

The same post was shared by other users here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, and the keen public interest in the matter as it pertained to Imran Khan and the sudden alleged change in his stance.

Observing the viral clip via naked eye, the team noted multiple discrepancies in the visuals pertaining to font size, spelling, and logo.

It was compared with one of the latest bulletins available on Geo News official YouTube channel for verification.

The font used in the alleged Geo News bulletin was different from the official one.

Additionally, the channel’s logo, which typically features a single dot in the middle, showed three dots in the viral clip. The anchor’s voice on screen also did not match the voiceover with visible distortion between the two.

The bulletin appeared shaky and poorly edited, as it switched anchors twice within a 39-second-long video – something that does not occur in standard bulletins.

For further clarification, a reverse image search on the video was conducted. The search yielded no trace of the bulletin on the official social media accounts of the outlet.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that Geo News aired a bulletin about Imran Khan apologising to Nawaz Sharif is false.

The viral news bulletin of the media outlet is fake.

Evidence and References

Latest news bulletin of Geo News:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh5dBRfPDLg