A video clip of children who sing has circulated with statements that students in the Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are forced to sing political songs of the ruling party in the province instead of the National Anthem of Pakistan.
The claim is misleading. The video is old and not new.
Say
On January 15, a user on X (previously Twitter) shared a video of a minute of children who sing a campaign song Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI). The user said they were told the children to sing the song instead of the national anthem in a school in Mardan.
The publication says: “In a school in Mardan, instead of the national anthem, children are told the anthem of the PTI.” The publication has been seen more than 10,000 times, it was published again more than 280 times and liked more than 467 times.
Another user shared the same video with the statement that since PTI entered into power in the province after the 2024 elections, the students have been forced to sing the PTI anthem instead of the National Anthem of Pakistan.
The user also said: “In this way, the minds of the new generation of Pakistan are being washed brain.”
Made
The video in question is not recent. It was filmed in 2018, long before PTI’s recent electoral victory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, District’s education officer in Mardan and media reports confirm this.
Zahid Muhammad, the Education Officer of the District of Mardan, reported Geographic data verification that the video was recorded six years ago. In addition, he clarified that there has not been a recent incident.
He said: “I have been working here during the last two years, and there has not been a recent incident. The video goes back to 2018, when a child sang the anthem PTI in an event, like a day of parents and teachers. After That, the teacher, the head of the school and the assistant education officer of the subdivision present in the event were suspended by the PTI government at that time. “
Geographic data verification He also found a news report from November 2018, confirming that the PTI government realized the incident. The news report details how children were made to sing political songs, which caused rapid punishment for responsible parties.
Verdict: The video of children singing the song PTI was filmed in 2018. After the video circulated, the authorities took disciplinary measures and suspended the teachers involved. The statement that this incident occurred recently under the current PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is false.
