Posts by multiple users on social media platform Punjab, Maryam Nawaz. However, the letter is fake, as confirmed by the UAE embassy spokesperson.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived at Rahim Yar Khan Airport on Sunday, where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was also present and greeted the visiting dignitary with a handshake.
He faced criticism from PTI supporters who called his handshake inappropriate. AI-generated videos of his interaction with the UAE president also circulated widely online as propaganda against him.
On Tuesday, an
The post was titled: “A letter has appeared from the UAE embassy, in which they have filed an official complaint with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. The complaint alleges that an account called ‘Joker’, linked to Salman Akram Raja, is making indecent and defamatory comments about Honorable Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Individuals associated with the disruptive group, including Adil Raja, Azhar Mashwani and Jibran Ilyas, have also started spreading similar comments about Sheikh Zayed. “The government should work with the UAE to issue red warrants against all these people and ensure they face the strictest possible punishment.”
The publication obtained 61,000 views.
The text of the alleged letter is reproduced below:
“The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and wishes to draw its attention to a matter of serious concern.
An account @jokkeerrr2 The publication of malicious and derogatory content regarding His Highness Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is currently on a private visit to Pakistan, has been observed. The account has used a doctored image of Her Highness greeting the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab, Mrs. Maryam Nawaz, while spreading false and defamatory narratives.
Upon investigation, it has been determined that this account is linked to Mr. Salman Akram Raja, son of [redacted] have CNIC number [redacted] who currently serves as general secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.
Such actions are deeply regrettable and may damage the long-standing brotherly relations between the UAE and Pakistan. While this embassy strongly condemns these attempts, it respectfully requests the esteemed Ministry of Foreign Affairs to request the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), specifically its Cyber Crime Wing, to investigate and take appropriate action against the individuals responsible for these malicious activities and share the results with this embassy as soon as possible.
The embassy remains confident in Pakistan’s commitment to preserving the strong and historic ties between our two nations and appreciates the Ministry’s cooperation in this urgent matter.
The embassy takes advantage of this opportunity to renew to the Ministry the assurances of its highest cooperation.“
The letter with similar claims was widely shared by PML-N supporters and anti-PTI users, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, the high public interest in UAE-Pakistan affairs, and also due to rampant misinformation surrounding the UAE President’s visit. United Arabs to Pakistan.
A close examination of the letter, examining elements such as font, grammatical accuracy, and general formatting, showed that it did not appear to be at odds with previous embassy circulars.
Upon closer inspection, a significant anomaly was identified: the serial number (No. 7/8/6-1334) in the upper right corner of the letter matched the serial number found on a [press release]
(https://gnnhd.tv/news/4684/uae-allows-pakistanis-to-travel-with-attested-covid-immunization-certificate) issued by the UAE embassy on July 14, 2021, in relation to Covid-19 restrictions.
It is important to note that serial numbers on official documents, including press releases, are designed to be unique for each correspondence. This can be seen in the following two notifications from the UAE embassy dated July 14 and 15, 2021 regarding Covid-19 protocols with serial numbers ending in 1334 and 1336.
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A search for the keyword “UAE embassy letter” to corroborate whether the alleged letter was covered in mainstream media and media reports yielded no results, not even as to the sources or status of anonymity.
Given that the alleged letter was a day old, it was reasonable to expect that major news organizations would have covered it if it were legitimate.
Sunrise Correspondent Abdullah Momand contacted Khalid Awan, spokesperson for the UAE embassy in Islamabad, who called the letter “fake.”
Meanwhile, newly appointed FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told the correspondent, “The Ministry of External Affairs (MFA) has not received any such note.”
Finally, a thorough review of PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja’s schedule on
On the contrary, Raja took to his profile to address the rumors by citing a video in which he expressed positive feelings about the arrival of the UAE president.
“This is the only statement I have made about the respected President of the United Arab Emirates, who is our guest of honor. “I have nothing to do with any X user who has included derogatory content, and I condemn such content,” he said.
In a separate post, Raja reiterated his stance and stated, “Thank you. “I will pursue this matter and seek action against those who spread false letters and make false accusations.”
Additionally, in a different post by political punctuation, they are despicable. All these acts sadden me, especially when they are carried out by those who seek a politics of dignity and freedom.”
Therefore, the fact check determined that the claim that an alleged letter from the UAE embassy to the Pakistani government requesting action against propaganda surrounding the visit of the UAE president is FAKE.
The letter is fake, as confirmed by the UAE embassy and the use of the serial number from a previous circular.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan, a project of CEJ and UNDP.
