Old video of Pakistani lawmaker calling for nuclear attack on Israel linked to Israel-Hamas war

Recent developments in the Israel-Hamas conflict have attracted significant global attention, and several governments criticized Israel's actions, including attacks on Gaza and ongoing military operations. The Pakistani government announced on October 14 that it would dispatch humanitarian aid to Gaza and alleged Israel of "indiscriminate aggression." The Pakistan Army stated on October 17 that the Palestinian people have "unequivocal diplomatic, moral and political support of the Pakistani nation". 

What's the claim?

Amid this, a video circulating on social media shows a Pakistani lawmaker "calling for a nuclear attack on Israel." In the viral video, a woman wearing a black burqa speaks in Urdu. Her statement roughly translates to: "Pakistan has nuclear capabilities, which is not just for showing off; they exist to protect Muslims and Pakistan. I call upon the Prime Minister of Pakistan to ask Israel to halt its actions against Palestine and its occupation. Failing that, we will wipe out Israel from the global map." 

Several social media users with significant followers and reach, including the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Panchjanya, an Indian weekly magazine published by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), posted the video on October 17, 2023, without clearly mentioning that it is an old video. The video has been seen 3,57,500 times so far. An archived version can be found here. 

Screenshot of Panchjanya's X post. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

This led to some other social media users resharing the X post and directly connecting it with the ongoing conflict in Israel, using captions in Hindi like "#Israel वार पे #पाकिस्तान ने एटम बम दिखाने के लिए नहीं रखे हैं। #Israel अगर मुसलमानों पर जुल्म बंद नहीं करेगा तो हम इजरायल को दुनिया के नक्शे से मिटा देंगे…" This roughly translates to "#Israel at war. Pakistan has not kept its nuclear bomb just for showing off. If #Israel doesn't stop atrocities on Muslims, then we will wipe out Israel from the world map…" An archived version of such an X post can be found here. Others have shared it, along with hashtags being used to post content related to the ongoing war on social media. An archived version of such an X post can be found here.

Screenshot of claim circulating online. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this video is old, and the Pakistani politician made the statement in 2021.

These are the facts

Some versions of the viral video bear a "TLP" logo at the top left corner along with the YouTube logo and the "TLPOfficialStatus" logo at the bottom. Further, the X and "TLPMarkaazReal" logos can be clearly seen. 

Screenshot from the viral video showing the TLP logo on the top left corner. Further, the YouTube logo and the "TLPOfficialStatus" text, and there is the X logo and the "TLPMarkaazReal" text at the bottom. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

The logos and texts featured in the viral videos imply affiliations with particular channels or organizations. Upon searching, it was found that this viral video was originally uploaded on May 2021 to a YouTube channel named "TLPOfficialStatus," with the description "Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi 2021 | MPA Sarwat Fatima Talking About Palestine in Sindh Assembly."

This YouTube channel is affiliated with Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a political party in Pakistan. The original video is 6 minutes 17 seconds and identifies the woman speaker as "Sarwat Fatima Member Provincial Assembly (MPA)." Fatima is a Pakistani politician who held the position of a member of the Sindh Assembly from August 2018 to August 2023.

Embedded YouTube video of TLPOfficialStatus. (Source: TLPOfficialStatus/YouTube)

In the YouTube video, Fatima is advocating for a call to action against Israel's alleged atrocities. The portion of the YouTube video between the 5:10 and 5:38 timestamp matches the part seen in the viral video. This part has been cropped out and shared with misleading captions on social media amid the current crisis. 

In May 2021, MPA Fatima made her statement during a period of extensive violence and conflict between Israel and Hamas. On May 7, according to Reuters, Palestinians threw stones at Israeli police forces, leading to a raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound using rubber bullets and stun grenades. This crisis escalated further and prompted an official response from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who described the hostilities as "utterly appalling."

A news report was published by the Pakistani daily, Dawn, on May 22, 2021, about the Sindh Assembly session during that time. The lawmakers in the assembly condemned what they called "state terrorism" by Israel in Gaza and demanded an immediate halt to the "genocide" of unarmed Palestinians, the report said. Fatima of TLP was among those who spoke about the issue.

The verdict

This old video from 2021 has been recently reshared without context, leading many users to share the video as a recent statement by a Pakistani lawmaker amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Therefore, we have marked the claim as misleading.