Fact-check: False claims spread about KP law minister's remarks about Imran Khan
Geo Fact Check reviewed entire over three-hour session of assembly, including minister’s speech delivered on Sept 19
Updated Wednesday Sep 25 2024
Some social media users are circulating a claim that the Minister for Law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Aftab Alam Afridi advocated for "worshipping" former prime minister Imran Khan during a speech in the provincial assembly.
The claim is entirely baseless. The minister made no such statement.
Claim
On September 20, a user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a 20-second video of Afridi, the minister for law, parliamentary affairs and human rights in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, addressing the provincial assembly.
The user captioned the video: "Statues are not allowed in Islam. We condemn this and do not accept any statues except those of Imran Khan. We consider it acceptable to worship and prostrate before it," attributing these words to the law minister.
In the short video clip, the law minister can be heard discussing the Islamic prohibition of statues. The video and its caption have been viewed over 100,000 times, leading many social media users to believe that the minister made the remarks about Imran Khan.
Similar text has been shared by other social media users as well on X (Twitter) and Facebook.
Fact
Aftab Alam Afridi, the minister for law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, did not make any such statement in the provincial assembly.
Geo Fact Check reviewed the entire over three-hour session of the assembly, including the minister’s speech delivered on September 19. During his 50-minute address, the minister discussed various topics related to politics, the judiciary, and the May 9 riots.
His only remarks on statues were: "It is not permissible in Islam." He further emphasised that "none is worthy of worship except Allah." Nowhere in the speech did the minister suggest that it is acceptable to worship or prostrate before statues of Imran Khan.
The law minister’s complete speech can be viewed here from the 1 hour and 28 minutes of the footage.
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