Fact Check: Father Of Child In The Viral Video Is Not A Military Officer; Video Originates From Pakistan

New Delhi (Visvas News). A video of a child wearing a school uniform singing ‘Baba mere pyaare baba…’ has gone viral on social media.  Many users are sharing this video with the claim that the father is a martyred army officer who died in a terrorist operation.

Vishvas News’ investigation revealed that this claim is fake and the child’s father is not a military officer but a singer. The video is from an event in Pakistan, held about nine years ago, in memory of the children who were killed in the terrorist attack on the Army school in Peshawar.

What is the viral post?

On August 14, 2024, Facebook user Alok Shukla Kamlapur shared the video, with the caption,

“This child is the son of an army officer who was killed in a terrorist operation. His mother also died of shock upon hearing the news. This child is studying in a boarding Army Public School. Watch as he fights back tears while singing, demonstrating Incredible bravery. His performance brought tears to my eyes. It is heart-wrenching.”

Investigation

By searching the keyframes of the viral video using Google Lens, we found it uploaded on the YouTube channel Yaara Video, with a longer version uploaded on March 30, 2016. Its description reads, ‘Remembering the children martyred in Peshawar’.

This confirms that the viral video is not recent but rather quite old.

On searching with relevant keywords, we discovered a video uploaded on the YouTube channel SibteinTV, uploaded on December 19, 2015. It features a child named Ghulam-e-Murtaza singing for the victims of the APS attack in 2015.

On December 19, 2015, Pakistan’s YouTube channel Dunya News also shared this video, noting that it was from an event organised to commemorate the children killed in the attack on Army Public School in Peshawar.

On  December 13, 2019, the YouTube channel  Nadeem Abbas Guitar Lessons uploaded a video featuring a child singing the song. The video identifies the child as Ghulam-e-Murtaza and he sang this song in memory of the children killed in the attack on the Army School in Peshawar. Contrary to the claims, his father is the famous singer Nadeem Abbas and his grandfather, Shahzad Akhtar Shahzada is a well-known music director and composer in the Pakistani music industry. The claim of Ghulam-e-Murtaza’s father being a martyred military officer is misleading. Both his parents are alive and well.

We reached out to Ghulam-e-Murtaza’s father Nadeem Abbas regarding this and he confirmed, “This rumour has been circulating on social media for years. I am not a military officer, I am a singer. My son sang this song in tribute to the children killed in the Peshawar school attack. I also appeared in the video singing a few lines towards the end. I participated in the singing reality show ‘Sur Kshetra’.” He also sent us a photo of himself and Ghulam-e-Murtaza.

According to a BBC report published on December 2, 2015, the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, was attacked by the terrorists on December 16, 2014, resulting in the deaths of about 150 people, most of whom were children.

We scanned the profile of the Facebook user who shared the video with the misleading claim. The user is influenced by a specific ideology and has more than 6000 followers.

Conclusion: The video featuring a child singing at a memorial event held about nine years ago for the victims of the Army School attack in Peshawar, Pakistan, is going viral with a false claim. The child’s father is not a military officer but a skilled singer.