LAHORE (Daily Point) — Social media erupted on Friday evening with claims that Javed Latif, a Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leader, faced an attack by local residents in his constituency as he campaigned for votes ahead of the February 8 general elections.
Numerous users shared video clips depicting a mob wielding batons pursuing Latif, who attempted to escape on a road while gunshots echoed in the background.
A fact-check by private TV channel Aaj News revealed that the video in question was not recent; it was recorded in November 2017. During that time, Latif had been attacked by a mob in Sheikhpura amid violent protests related to rumors about amending the country’s blasphemy laws. It’s important to note that this incident occurred when PMLN was in power.
Javed Latif wasn’t the sole PMLN politician targeted by a mob, as the then-law minister Zahid Hamid also faced an attack on his residence in Sialkot during the same period.
The resurfacing of the old video on Friday was attributed to various social media users, including a fan page of anchorperson Sabir Shakir. Shakir himself had recently faced criticism for asserting that PTI leader Bilal Virk had been subjected to police brutality while filing nomination papers. However, Virk’s wife later clarified that her husband had sustained injuries in a road accident, not due to police actions.
