| schema:text
| - Fact Check: Old picture of Baloch leader Mengal shared as younger Geelani
A photograph of a man dressed in a pathani outfit with the claim that it was Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in his youth is making the rounds on social media. India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found that the claim is misleading.
Listen to Story
India Today Fact Check
This is an old picture of Baloch nationalist leader Sardar Attaullah Mengal.
A black and white picture of a man in pathani suit walking with cops around him is viral on social media with the claim that this was Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in his younger days.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the man seen in the viral picture is not Geelani but Sardar Attaullah Mengal, the first chief minister of Balochistan. While Geelani died on September 1, 2021, Mengal passed away a day later.
AFWA probe
Several social media users had pointed out below the viral posts that the picture is of Baloch leader Mengal.
Using keyword search, we found the photo was tweeted by former Pakistan ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani on September 2, 2021. Haqqani had shared the picture with the caption, “Saddened by the loss of the great Baloch leader, Sardar Ataullah Mengal. He stood for and by his people, at great personal cost.”
Saddened by the loss of the great Baloch leader, Sardar Ataullah Mengal. He stood for and by his people, at great personal cost. pic.twitter.com/d5NFHzUAQ7 — Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 2, 2021
Former Senator and member of the National Assembly of Pakistan Sana Ullah Baloch had also tweeted the picture on September 2, 2021, paying homage to Mengal.
#SardarAttaullahMengal , a man of courage and conviction who for 70 years incarnated the #Baloch’ fight for recognition of their national rights.
RIP pic.twitter.com/oXxxrauhpi — Sana Ullah BALOCH, MPA (@Senator_Baloch) September 2, 2021
The same picture was carried in a video report by Geo News of Pakistan.
We found another picture of Mengal at a young age in a BBC report. On comparing it with the viral picture, the similarities between both can be clearly seen.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s younger son Naseem Geelani also confirmed to us that the viral picture is not of his father’s. He sent us an old photograph of the separatist mascot that can be seen below.
Mengal was a prominent Baloch nationalist leader who served as the first CM of Balochistan. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had imposed governor’s rule in Balochistan in 1973, following which Mengal spent several years in prison.
Later, Mengal took voluntary exile to London and returned to Pakistan only in 1990. He founded the Balochistan National Party, comprising all nationalist parties in Balochistan, in December 1996.
Geelani, on the other hand, was a pro-Pakistan separatist leader from Kashmir. After his death, his body was also draped in a Pakistani flag, while Pakistan PM Imran Khan ordered flags to be flown at half-mast to mourn his death.
However, it is clear that a picture of Baloch nationalist leader Sardar Attaullah Mengal in his younger days is being shared as of Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Please share it on our at 73 7000 7000
You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)