Mohsin Naqvi has not been appointed principal of Lahore’s Aitchison College

Claim: Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi has been appointed the principal of Aitchison College.

Fact: The claim is not true as it is based on a satirical report.

On 27 March 2024, Facebook user ‘Shahid Zulfiqar’ posted the visual of a news report claiming that the interior minister of Pakistan, Mohsin Raza Naqvi, has been appointed the principal of Aitchison College, an elite boys’ school in Lahore.

The accompanying caption, which includes the hashtag “#fixnewz”, is as follows:

“سر سیدھا سیدھا کوئی فوجی لگا دیتے پرنسپل
[Sir, you could have directly installed a soldier as the principal]”

Social media users such as this one started questioning who was spreading “rumours” that Naqvi had been appointed the principal of Aitchison College.

The post comes shortly after Australian-born Michael A. Thompson resigned (archive) from his post as principal of the Aitchison College over “unwarranted interference and brazen directives”, as well as “politics and nepotism”.

“Although the letter did not specify the reason for tendering the resignation, media reports suggested the move was prompted by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman’s decision to waive the tuition fees for Minister for Economic Affairs and Est­ablishment Ahad Cheema’s two sons,” Dawn wrote (archive), citing another report (archive).

The publication added (archive) that Thompson was provided with a 28-day leave (archive) “with the hope he may retract his resignation” but the former principal has said he will stick to his decision. 

In a letter addressed to Governor Rehman, cited in this report (archive), Cheema termed Thompson’s resignation a “strange and pointless controversy”, alleging that the ex-principal had also offered an “under-the-table deal” to him at various occasions.

Fact or Fiction?

Soch Fact Check used reverse image search tools and keywords in Google and ascertained that the image in question was originally posted by ProperGaanda.

In its posts on social media, ProperGaanda clearly mentions a disclaimer that the report is satirical. “This is a satire, and is meant to be taken light heartedly,” it states.

We also observed that the satirical report by ProperGaanda likely followed sarcastic posts such as this one and another by Dr Shahbaz Gill, a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and close ally of former prime minister Imran Khan.

Therefore, Soch Fact Check concludes that the claim is not true since it is based on a satirical report.

Virality

Soch Fact Check found the satirical claim shared as factual news here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. On X (formerly Twitter), it was shared here, here, here, here, and here.

Conclusion: Mohsin Naqvi has not been appointed principal of Lahore’s Aitchison College. The claim is not true as it is based on a satirical report.

Background image in cover photo: Aitchison College

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