Information, images of CM Marya, Kulsoom Nawaz included in Punjab textbook

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search to check if any news outlets had reported on the matter and contacted the spokesperson for the Punjab School Education Department for corroboration.

Posts from multiple users on social media platform X since January 18, 2025, claimed that information and pictures of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her mother Kulsoom Nawaz have been included in a Punjab textbook while also sharing an image which appears to be a book cover. However, the investigation showed that while the pictures and certain information have been added to the textbook, it is not only exclusive to them but also includes other prominent women.

HOW IT STARTED

On Jan 18, PTI leader Shahbaz Gill claimed in a 36-second video clip that the images and information regarding CM Maryam and her mother would be included in the Pakistan Studies textbook for grade 10.

The post’s caption said: “In Pakistan Studies, a lesson about Maryam Nawaz will also be taught.”

The post garnered over 45,600 views and was reshared 1,300 times.

Similar claims were shared by PTI supporters, as can be seen here and here with over 80,000 and 40,000 views, respectively. The posts also shared a mockup of a textbook’s cover with CM Maryam and another unidentified woman.

Additionally, journalist Junaid Saleem highlighted the same issue on January 17 in a video on his X account where he discussed recent changes to the grade 10 textbook.

Saleem claimed that CM Maryam included her name and that of her late mother under the section titled “Women’s Contribution to Pakistan’s Success”. He questioned why other notable figures such as former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid were not included.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of a claim due to its high virality which sparked considerable public interest, concerns over the potential misuse of authority in the education sector and lack of wider coverage in the mainstream media.

A keyword search was conducted using relevant words in both Urdu and English.

The Urdu search yielded news stories from two outlets, Suno News and Daily Dunya, both published on January 18, 2025.

According to the reports, the updated 2025 syllabus for the 10th-grade Pakistan Studies curriculum includes the contributions of prominent women to Pakistan’s development, including Fatima Jinnah and 11 others such as ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, Kulsoom, CM Maryam, Fehmida Mirza, Nusrat Bhutto, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aaliya Neelum, Bilquis Edhi, Arfa Karim, Samina Baig, Shamshad Akhtar and Nigar Johar Khan.

They added that the syllabus acknowledged Maryam as Punjab’s first female chief minister. These accomplishments, along with those of other influential women, were to be featured in Chapter 8, page 163, as part of the unified curriculum to be taught in both public and private schools.

The same was also reported in a Jan 19 news bulletin from 92 News.

Reaching out to Dawn correspondent Imran Gabol for corroboration yielded a statement from the spokesperson of the Punjab School Education Department.

Noorul Huda confirmed the inclusion of CM Maryam and Kulsoom’s pictures, stating, “As the names of other influential women, such as Nusrat Bhutto have been added, similarly, the names and pictures of Maryam and Kulsoom have also been included, highlighting their contributions to Pakistan. This has been added in the same context.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that the revised textbook is currently being printed and is not yet in circulation since it is intended for the 2025 academic year.

Mutalia Pakistan 10 PCTB Complete File by Dawndotcom on Scribd

As can be seen from the online version of the new textbook, its cover does not match the mockup being circulated on social media.

According to the text of the section, Kulsoom was included for being a “brave woman” who played a role against the dictatorship in Pakistan from 1999-2008 under former president Gen Pervez Musharraf.

A blog on the Punjab government’s Honhaar Scholarship Programme website, titled “Maryam Nawaz Named as Extraordinary Woman in Pakistan Studies Book of Matric” also yielded the same information.

It highlighted the same update in the 2025 Pakistan Studies textbook. According to the blog, the inclusion aimed to inspire students, especially girls, to excel in various fields.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that information and images of only CM Maryam and her mother have been included in a Punjab textbook is misleading, because while they are being mentioned, so are other prominent women.

The posts sharing the claim omitted to mention the fact that CM Maryam and Kulsoom have been included with a number of other women for their national contributions, thus lending the impression that it was a misuse of authority for self-glorification. This could have the potential to misguide the public about the inclusion in the textbook.

The mockup of the textbook’s alleged cover is also a clear fabrication as shown by the actual online version of the revised textbook.

Evidence and References

January 18, 2025, Suno News news story:
https://sunonews.tv/urdu/pakistan/1737190149-9450

January 18, 2025, Roznama Dunya news story:
https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/pakistan/2025-01-18/2463336

Honhaar Scholarship Programme blog:
https://honhaarscholarship.pk/maryam-nawaz-named-as-extraordinary-woman-in-pakistan-studies-book-of-matric/

January 19, 2025, 92 News YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9DOOX3LeqI