Claim: Recently, the Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue (ADCR) of Sialkot, Muhammad Iqbal Singhera, was arrested by anti-corruption authorities over alleged financial misconduct. Building on this incident, a Pakistani user ZubairAlikhanUN—claiming to be a media person—made a sensational claim on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) regarding Defence Minister KhawajaMAsif. The post stirred considerable commotion across political circles and social media. The said user ZubairAlikhanUN posted the following claim on their X account:
“Breaking News!!! Defence Minister KhawajaMAsif has resigned…The controversy surrounding the arrest of Sialkot’s ADCR has escalated. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister CMShehbaz. Sources claim that the arrest of the ADCR by Anti-Corruption has caused tensions, prompting Khawaja Asif to tender his resignation to the Prime Minister. In a letter sent to Prime Minister’s Advisor Dr Tauqir Shah, Khawaja Asif reportedly demanded either the release of the ADCR or acceptance of his resignation. A few days earlier, the ADCR of Sialkot was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Department on charges of alleged financial corruption, and a five-day remand was obtained. This officer had also served as a Returning Officer during the general elections!!!” Shortly afterward, the same user ZubairAlikhanUN made another post, further escalating the claim: “Sources report that a one-on-one meeting was held between NawazSharifMNS and Defence Minister KhawajaMAsif in Murree, during which Khawaja Asif expressed his concerns. Nawaz Sharif advised him to withdraw his resignation. Following the meeting, Khawaja Asif became unreachable—neither ministers nor journalists have been able to contact him. All his phone numbers are switched off, and he is said to have moved to an undisclosed location!!!” These two posts quickly went viral, shared by thousands of users, including several accounts affiliated with PTIofficial. The news took on a political dimension and fueled public speculation. Various Facebook accounts also circulated the claim without any form of verification, further amplifying the misinformation.
Fact-Check: As soon as this sensational claim started circulating on social media, our investigative team decided to verify the facts. After conducting a thorough verification process, it became clear that the claim was completely false, fabricated, and baseless. It was merely a politically motivated rumor with no official confirmation or credible media reporting to support it. Here are the key findings of our investigation:
1. Direct Denial by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif: Defence Minister KhawajaMAsif, from his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, reshared the very tweet in which his alleged resignation was mentioned and issued a firm rebuttal in strong words: “With due respect, this gentleman has written his wishes in this tweet, not the truth.” This statement not only denies the claim but categorically labels it as a lie based on personal wishful thinking—pure propaganda.
2. Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar’s Response: Information Minister TararAttaullah also released a statement on the matter, saying: “All news regarding Defence Minister KhawajaMAsif’s resignation is fabricated, baseless, and false.”
3. Analysis of the Claimant’s Social Media Account: Upon reviewing the X (formerly Twitter) account of the user ZubairAlikhanUN behind the claim, our team found that he identifies as a “forcibly terminated” journalist formerly linked to outlets like https://x.com/WENewsPk, https://x.com/UrduNewsCom, gnnhdofficial, https://x.com/CapitalTVLive and JAAG_Alerts. His bio further states he is currently unaffiliated and describes himself as a “forcibly terminated” journalist who now shares only personal opinions…..1/2
