Fact-check: Fake EU statement, threatening sanctions on army, Nawaz Sharif, circulates online
EU’s official statement about polls in Pakistan has been altered by online users to give the false impression that the EU has threatened the country with sanctions
Updated Sunday Feb 18 2024
A fabricated statement by the European Union about Pakistan’s recent general election is being widely shared on the internet with claims that the EU has threatened to impose sanctions on Pakistan’s senior officials, including its military chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Claim
“Breaking: Statement of high representatives on behalf of EU,” wrote a user on X, formerly Twitter, sharing a purported statement by the EU.
The alleged statement’s last paragraph reads:
“If there are any irregularities in the election outcome, it’s evident that the Pakistani populace has overwhelmingly supported PTI, indicating their victory. Failure to promptly announce genuine results may lead to sanctions on several army generals, including the chief of army staff and his top 16 officers, along with members of the PML-N, MQM and other relevant parties, including Nawaz Sharif and his associates. Additionally, the Election Commission of Pakistan can expect severe repercussions from the European Union and its allied nations.”
Besides X, formerly known as Twitter, the above statement is also being shared in WhatsApp groups by politicians and social media users.
Fact
The European Union’s statement circulating online has been altered.
While the EU did issue a press release on February 9, about Pakistan’s parliamentary election, the statement did not contain any threat about imposing sanctions on Pakistan’s serving and former officials or warn its Election Commission of “repercussions”.
The EU’s original press release is titled: “Pakistan: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the general elections.”
It has been posted on the EU’s website and shared by its official X account.
The statement welcomes the increased number of women registered to vote in Pakistan on February 8 but “regrets the lack of level playing field” for some political actors.
It then calls on the authorities to ensure a timely and full investigation of all reported irregularities in the polling process.
The statement ends with the following paragraph:
“Pakistan is an important partner for the European Union and we look forward to continuing to work with the Government of Pakistan on the priorities agreed in the EU-Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plan. We encourage Pakistan to continue reforms in the areas of human rights, good governance, as well as labour rights and environmental standards, to address the shortcomings outlined in the GSP+ report of November 2023, and to continue the necessary economic reforms.”
This statement was later manipulated and edited by online users and the following new paragraph was added to the press release:
“If there are any irregularities in the election outcome, it’s evident that the Pakistani populace has overwhelmingly supported PTI, indicating their victory. Failure to promptly announce genuine results may lead to sanctions on several army generals, including the chief of army staff and his top 16 officers, along with members of the PML-N, MQM and other relevant parties, including Nawaz Sharif and his associates. Additionally, the Election Commission of Pakistan can expect severe repercussions from the European Union and its allied nations.”
The EU’s official statement does not contain the above paragraph.
The EU has also reposted its correct statement and asked people to be “aware of a fake version of the EU statement on general elections” being circulated and misused.
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