A TikTok video circulating online, featuring a news broadcast, claims to show Punjab Chief Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announcing a complete lockdown on weekends due to rising smog in Lahore and Multan.
The statement is false. The video is not recent and the Punjab government has not taken such a decision as of October 24.
Say
“There will be a complete lockdown in Lahore and Multan next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, says Marriyum Aurangzeb,” reads an Urdu text superimposed on a video posted on TikTok on October 19.
The video includes a graphic from a private news channel with the text: “All types of construction will also be banned, Marriyum Aurangzeb said.”
At the time of writing, the post has been viewed over 453,000 times, shared over 1,160 times, and liked over 9,300 times.
A similar claim was also shared on the same platform here.
Made
The video circulating online is from last year and the Punjab government has not recently announced a lockdown in Lahore or Multan due to poor air quality.
Geographic data verification He traced the viral video to a press conference by Minister Aurangzeb, broadcast on November 15, 2024, when she announced a three-day lockdown in Lahore and Multan due to heavy smog.
Additionally, Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari told PakGazette Fact Check over the phone: “There is absolutely no possibility of a lockdown and no decision has been taken in this regard. [as yet].”
Verdict: The November 2024 lockdown announcement has been falsely shared as a recent closure announcement in Lahore and Multan.
Follow @GeoFactCheck on X and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. To report corrections, contact us at [email protected].
