Fact Check: Old video falsely shared as Pakistani minister harassing couple for participating in Lahore protest

Hyderabad: A protest erupted in Lahore, Pakistan, following an alleged rape at a private college. However, Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz dismissed the claims, describing the incident as a ‘fabricated case.’

In this context, a video showing a man assaulting a woman and her partner in a room has gone viral. Those sharing the video claim it shows education minister Rana Sikandar Hayat in the Maryam Nawaz government assaulting the couple because they participated in a protest against the rape in Lahore.

An X user shared the video (disturbing visuals) and wrote, “Rana Sikandar Hayat, Education Minister in #MaryamNawaz illegal govt went to a couple’s home to rape a woman. He beat the husband & pulled the lady's shirt so he could rape her. The couple participated in protests against the rape of #Lahore PGC students. (sic)”

Another X user shared the video and wrote, “An incident has come to light from Pakistan which has shaken the world. In Pakistan’s Punjab province, Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat in the Maryam Nawaz government stripped a girl and raped her in front of the camera. The crime of that girl and her partner was that they had participated in the protest against the rape of a girl at Lahore University. Now just imagine that when a Pakistani minister can openly rape a Muslim woman in front of the camera, then what will the people of Pakistan do with the Hindus? (sic)” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The incident occurred in 2021. The man assaulting the couple is Usman Mirza, not Pakistan’s Punjab education minister Rana Sikandar Hayat.

Upon conducting a reverse image search of the video’s keyframes, we found the same visuals featured in video reports by Pakistan news outlets ARY News and BOl News. Both reports identified the main accused as Usman Mizra.

Further, we ran a keyword search and came across a report by The Tribune published on March 25, 2022, titled ‘Usman Mirza, four others get life imprisonment.’ The report carried the image of Usman Mirza and he was sentenced after ‘a video of the culprits harassing a couple at gunpoint went viral on social media in July 2021.’

According to the report, then-PM Imran Khan, upon taking note of the case, instructed the Islamabad IG to ensure the accused received the harshest possible punishment. The Islamabad High Court directed the trial court to conclude the trial within the first two months, later extending it by an additional three months. Usman Mirza, along with Idris Qayyum Butt, Mohib Khan Bangash, Hafiz Ataur Rehman and Farhan Shaheen were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

In an article dated March 25, 2022, Dawn reported that a sessions court in Islamabad sentenced Usman Mirza to life imprisonment for holding a couple at gunpoint, forcing them to strip, assaulting them and filming the ordeal. The article also noted that Mirza’s accomplices and co-accused — Hafiz Ataur Rehman, Adaras Qayyum Butt, Mohib Bangash and Farhan Shaheen — were also sentenced to life in prison, while two other men, Umar Bilal and Rehan Hassan Mughal, were acquitted.

Lastly, we searched for reports accusing Rana Sikandar Hayat of rape but found no such claims in the Pakistani media. Hence, we conclude that the video is from 2021 and does not show the Punjab education minister sexually assaulting a woman on video. The claim is false.