Claim: PML-N Punjab’s president and former minister, Rana Sanaullah has said that, “I am Imran Khan’s dog, I am Imran Khan’s Mirasi”.
Fact: A part of Rana Sanaullah’s statement from an interview has been quoted without context and misrepresented.
While questioning the credibility of an analyst and political commentator without naming him, Sanaullah questions why a man who publicly proclaimed that, “I am Imran Khan’s dog, I am Imran Khan’s Mirasi,” was deemed fit to be a senior analyst on the panel for the election transmission on a prominent news channel.
On 19 February 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user Sajjad Baloch (@sjad_bloch) shared (archive) a clip of an interview in which Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N’s) leader Rana Sanaullah can be heard saying, “I am Imran Khan’s dog, I am Imran Khan’s Mirasi”.
The user mockingly questions, “اور اس کے ساتھ کیا ہوا ہے؟ [And what happened to him?]”
Mirasi is a term used in South Asian cultures, particularly in Pakistan and North India, to refer to persons hailing from communities of traditional singers and dancers. Normally, it carries a derogatory connotation, suggesting that the person termed as such is of low social status or a menial occupation. In this case, it was used as a slur.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check found that the six-second viral clip was taken from a TV show, “Live With Nasrullah Malik”, aired on 18 February 2024 on Neo News, in which Sanaullah appeared as a guest. The full program is available here on YouTube.
Sifting through the 37-minute long show, Soch Fact Check found Sanaullah’s complete remark, which was a response to the following question posed by the anchor at the 30:54 mark, “Why is PML-N heading towards a confrontation with the media? Much has been said about your Twitter [activity] that your tweets are aggressive, and some individuals associated with PML-N are seemingly inclined towards a clash with the media?”.
Between the 31:11 and 32:26 mark, Sanaullah responds by saying, “No, listen to me. You tell me that one of the most viewed channels makes people sit for analysis and commentary on elections. Shouldn’t there be some qualification for doing commentary and analysis? There’s a man who publicly declares, ‘I am Imran Khan’s dog, I am Imran Khan’s Mirasi.’ If the channel includes him in their panel as an analyst and labels him as a senior commentator and analyst, it’s concerning. If you intend to use him to slander PML-N and assassinate our character, then just give him a program where he can use derogatory language against us and leave. We wouldn’t mind. But labelling him as a senior analyst is something you should be ashamed of.”
Defending the PML-N’s relationship with the media and journalists, Sanaullah mentioned that when Hamid Mir was attacked, he made a conscious decision not to appear on his show, Capital Talk, until he returned as the host and Nawaz Sharif, serving as the Prime Minister at the time, visited him in Karachi to inquire about his well-being. However, expressing his concern, the PML-N leader emphasised that Hamid Mir’s statements which jeopardise their safety are unwarranted. Specifically, he cited an instance where Mir claimed to have shared a list of missing persons with the interior ministry and had alleged that the persons mentioned on it were targeted or killed on the basis of that list. Sanaullah termed these claims to be false.
The politician further added that he is open to having Mir’s claim investigated by Geo News’ senior journalists, stating that if the accusation on him of receiving such a list or taking any action based on it as the former interior minister is confirmed, he would resign from politics.
Continuing to challenge Hamid Mir’s claims, Sanaullah questioned if such actions aligned with the principles of journalistic freedom. However, he reiterated his fondness for Hamid Mir despite the latter’s accusations on him, but also stressed the PML-N’s right to address false statements.
Hence, we conclude that Rana Sanaullah’s statement was shared without context. He did not proclaim that he is Imran Khan’s “dog” or “mirasi.” His remark was a criticism of an analyst on Geo’s election transmission panel whom he believed had unfairly targeted the PML-N in his commentary. According to Sanaullah, the analyst was known to have a political bias towards Imran Khan which does not qualify him as a credible political commentator in his eyes. However, it is unclear if the analyst he was referring to is Hamid Mir or someone else.
Virality:
The claim can be found here, here, here, here and here on X.
The tweet by @sjad_bloch received 13,700 views, 55 likes and 14 reposts.
On Facebook, the video was posted here, here, here, here and here with an Urdu caption, “رانا صاب ایسا کہنے سے بھی معافی نہیں ملنی [Translation: Rana Saab will not be forgiven for saying so]”.
Conclusion: A clip of Rana Sanaullah saying, “I am Imran Khan’s dog, I am Imran Khan’s Mirasi,” has been misinterpreted. In fact, during an interview, Sanaullah made the remark while referring to an unidentified analyst who, according to him, is known to have an obvious political bias towards Imran Khan. A shorter excerpt of his interview was extracted and circulated, distorting the context of his original statement.
Background image in cover photo: PID
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