Fact-check: Claim that Shaukat Khanum fundraising NOC was recently revoked is false

Multiple online posts claim that Islamabad’s administration recently stopped Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) from holding a fundraising event by withdrawing a no-objection certificate (NOC).

The claim is false.

Claim

On February 15, Mohammad Zubair, a politician and former governor of Sindh, shared a news graphic on X (formerly Twitter) which read: “Breaking News: The fundraising event permit for Shaukat Khanum Hospital Karachi has been revoked.” Zubair then accused the government of “barbarism” for cancelling the fundraising event.

At the time of writing, the post had received more than 181,000 views, nearly 3,000 reposts, and nearly 7,000 likes.

The same claim was also shared by several other social media users across platforms here, here and here.

Fact

The administration did not revoke permission for any recent fundraising event. Though such an incident did occur in December 2023.

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, a non-profit founded in 1994 by former prime minister Imran Khan, stated on X on February 15 that the viral posts instead refer to December 29, 2023, when a fundraising gala was scheduled in Islamabad for Shaukat Khanum Karachi and the Islamabad administration withdrew the NOC for the event.

“Fundraising and construction have continued without interruption since then," the hospital said in its statement, adding that the Karachi hospital remains on track for opening in December 2026.

While a spokesperson for the hospital shared with Geo Fact Check an official letter from the office of the District Magistrate, Islamabad, dated December 27, 2023. The letter directed the hospital to cancel the December 29 fundraising gala in Islamabad and warned that legal action would be initiated if the instruction was not followed.

Several national media outlets also reported in December 2023 that the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) district magistrate had withdrawn the NOC granted to the hospital for a fundraising event at a local hotel in Islamabad.

Verdict: The news graphic currently being shared online dates back to December 2023 and does not reflect any recent decision by the Islamabad administration.

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