Video does not show General Shamshed Mirza visiting Adiala Jail

Claim: A video on social media shows the Chief of Joint Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza arriving at Adiala Jail to meet Imran Khan.

Fact: The claim is false. The video is likely a recording of a regular proceeding. It shows FIA’s special prosecutor, Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi arriving at the Adiala Jail, possibly accompanied by other members of the teams at FIA and NAB.

On 10 February 2024, a user on X (formerly Twitter) @mnakkhan posted a video (archive) with the caption, “Cheif of Joint Staff Gen Shamshad Akhtar arrived at Adiala jail, Barrister Gohar and Sher Afzal Marwat also arrived at Adiala jail while president Arif Alvi is on his way to adiala jail. Reporting you authentically.”

The minute-long video shows vehicles with protocol approaching Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. However, first, the caption misquotes the name of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee as it is General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and not Shamshad Akhtar, who is the former governor of the state bank and the caretaker Finance Minister of Pakistan.

Secondly, it must be noted that the video was shared two days after the general elections in which independent candidates, backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by winning the most seats in the National Assembly as per official results by Election Commission of Pakistan. Thus, the tweet implies that a meeting took place between the top official of the army, PTI’s senior members and  Imran Khan in the aftermath of the election.

Imran Khan is currently imprisoned at Adiala Jail after being sentenced to fourteen years in the toshakhana case, ten years in the cipher case and another seven years in a case which ruled his marriage unIslamic.

Fact or Fiction?

Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse image search on the video’s keyframes to investigate. However, no credible search could show when the video was recorded. However, a closer look at the signs and symbols in the video reveals that the video does show the entry gate of Adiala Jail.

For more information, when Soch Fact Check searched for news articles or official statements on General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and the now former President Dr Arif Alvi visiting Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, but could not find any substantial information.

Soch Fact Check then spoke to court reporter, Zeshan Syed from Neo News, who confirmed that General Mirza or former President Alvi had not paid any official visit to Adiala Jail. He also claims the video shows judges, officials of the FIA, NAB, and members of the PTI’s legal team entering the premises of Adiala Jail in the viral video, adding that the video might be from a hearing of the cipher case, which was recorded days before elections. Another court reporter Aamir Baloch from Aik News confirmed Syed’s statement that the video shows judges and the FIA team entering Adiala Jail. Baloch also said that the video dates back to probably December 2023 when the proceedings of cipher and toshakhana cases were being heard at Adiala Jail. Baloch added that he covered and attended these proceedings and said the cars shown in the video belonged to judges and FIA teams hearing these cases.

Soch Fact Check was also able to ascertain the identity of one person in the video. Zeshan Syed also identified the man seen talking to the media briefly in the viral video as the FIA’s special prosecutor, Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi. Through a keyword search, Soch Fact Check further corroborated that the man in the viral video does resemble Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi. A similar video of him talking outside the jail premises shows the same vehicle and driver at the 0:55 mark, which aligns with both court reporters’ assertions that the viral video shows the regular protocol of the FIA team entering the jail for case proceedings.

Soch Fact Check could not independently verify when the video was originally recorded or if General Mirza visited Imran Khan at Adiala Jail along with Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, Barrister Gohar and the now-former President Arif Alvi.  However, we can confirm that this particular video does not show General Mirza entering Adiala Jail.

Virality

On X, the video received 2,39,300 views, 2,500 likes and 790 reposts.

It was also shared here, here and here on Facebook.

Conclusion: A video of vehicles with protocol does not show the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, at Adiala Jail in February 2024. The video likely shows FIA’s special prosecutor, Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, arriving at the Adiala Jail.

Background image in cover photo: The Friday Times

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