Pak Christian leader speaking against forced conversions passed off as Hindu lawmaker seeking mercy
Social media users are sharing a video with a claim that Hindu MP is begging for mercy in Pakistan's parliament.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 16 Nov 2022 6:25 AM GMT
Social media users are sharing a video with a claim that Hindu MP is begging for mercy in Pakistan's parliament.
In the video, a man can be seen speaking passionately against forced religious conversion.
A Twitter shared the video and wrote, "See how Hindu MP is begging for mercy in Pakistan Parliament with folded hands ... that mercy on us, spare our daughters. This video is dedicated to those secular people who give us knowledge on religion and …"
Click here to see the post.
Fact Check
NewsMeter performed a reverse image search of the video's keyframe and found the same video posted by a Twitter user on 15 September 2022. The tweet said that the man in the video is Tariq Masih Gill, a Christan MPA from the Punjab province, and he is talking about the kidnap and forcible conversion of a 12-year-old Christian girl.
Next, we ran a keyword search and found a longer version of the same video on YouTube titled "MPA Tariq Masih Gill bold speech at National Assembly of Pakistan on forced religious conversions." In this video, the viral clip appears at the 3.18-minute time mark.
According to the website of the Punjab Provincial Assembly, Gill belongs to the Christian community. He was re-elected as a Member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly (MPA) in the 2018 General elections from one of the reserved seats for non-Muslims. From 2013-2018, he also worked as Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights & Minorities Affairs.
We also found a report from 23 September 2022 that said Gill raised his voice for the recovery of 13-years-old Zaria Pervaiz, who was converted and forced into child marriage. He had also pledged to raise his voice on the floor of the legislative assembly for laws against child marriage and legal protection against forced conversions.
The man seen in the video speaking passionately against force is a Christian legislator in Pakistan's Punjab assembly. Hence, the claim that a Hindu MP is begging for mercy in Pakistan's parliament is misleading.
