Fake news spread through social media to malign Nawaz

LONDON: Two unverified and completely baseless news were spread through Whatsapp groups, social media and a private news channel to target former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

For about a week, a post was run through social media by someone called ‘Ashoor Baba’ in which it was alleged that Nawaz Sharif held a “secret meeting” at Hasan Nawaz Sharif’s flat with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s London-based exiled leader Altaf Hussain.

Then there was other news – run through whatsapp groups and social media forums - which claimed that Nawaz Sharif had hired an American public relations (PR) and lobbying firm to stage his comeback to power.

The first post started circulating after Nawaz Sharif reached London in the last week of August to be with his wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer. There were feverish speculations about who Nawaz Sharif was meeting and whether he will go back to Pakistan anytime soon or not. 

The social media post alleged that a senior diplomat of Indian High Commission also played a role in facilitating this meeting. While many people laughed off kind of language used in the post, which clearly suggested that the post was based on a conspiracy theory and no evidence was presented to back up the outlandish claim, many in Pakistan believed the post and its claims or liked to run it forward through Whatsapp groups to suit their agenda and bias.

The fake news then made to several TV channels where anchors and guests presented the fake post as a fact that Nawaz Sharif had met Altaf Hussain at his son’s flat. Three days ago, Awami Muslim League (AML) leader Sheikh Rasheed went a step ahead and relied in the fake post in his address at the National Assembly and claimed that the MQM leader had met Nawaz Sharif at Hasan Nawaz’s office. It’s clear that Sheikh Rasheed didn’t make any attempt to verify news and knowingly presented an untruth as fact in a clear attempt to instigate negative sentiments about political rival, Nawaz Sharif.

“So where did this all come from? A private Pakistani TV channel aired in the UK called C44 (C24 in Pakistan) first claimed that it had been told by “sources” that Nawaz Sharif had met Altaf Hussain. A channel insider told this reporter that its reporter, who was stationed outside Hasan Nawaz’s house, saw many people coming with bouquets for Begum Kulsoom Nawaz who had returned home after being at the hospital for treatment.

Many individuals and political parties sent flowers to Kusloom Nawaz and that also included MQM’s office which sent one of its activists to drop flowers at the reception at the block of flats where Hasan Nawaz lives. The bouquets from everyone were received by the porter and not by any member of the Sharif family. The reporter ran the news as “breaking news” that a meeting between Sharif and Hussain had taken place but no footage could be produced or evidence shared because there was none and in reality no meeting took place. But that didn’t stop the news from going viral and eventually reached the floor of the National Assembly.

Separately, other news was circulated through social media first that Nawaz Sharif had hired a PR firm to lobby for him and this was discussed in various talk shows. Again, no proof of that was presented and the news went viral on social media groups and TV talk shows.

“How did that come about? Nawaz Sharif and his sons received visas from the US Embassy in London on the advice of doctors if Kulsoom Nawaz could not be treated in London, she could be shifted to Washington for treatment and for that visas were needed. When the news broke out that Nawaz Sharif had received visas, the hacks also assumed that he’s going to meet US officials for “lobbying” on Pakistani politics.

A PML-N source in UK said that Nawaz Sharif didn’t meet Altaf Hussain when he was at his peak and held Karachi hostage with full help from Pervez Musharraf. “It’s to credit of Nawaz Sharif that he launched successful operations against militancy in Karachi and under him peace returned to Karachi. He stood by the people of Karachi when they faced worst kind of lawlessness. Baseless news is being spread by the desperate minds who believe in petty politics and their own lies are exposed when they have no proofs to back up their lies.”

The PML-N source said that it’s laughable that Nawaz Sharif would hire a lobbying firm for his case.

“The people of Pakistan are the biggest lobbyists of Nawaz Sharif who have time and again reposed their trust in him despite all the conspiracies against him, which continue till today. The people of Pakistan stand by Nawaz Sharif and know it well that he has been ousted to damage Pakistan and his Iqama disqualification is nothing less than a joke with the voters of Pakistan,” said the PML-N leader.