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TikToker Hareem Shah broke her silence on the matter of her alleged arrest in Türkiye and called it “fake news”. Tired of the media constantly putting her down without evidence, she said she will take legal action against them.

On Saturday, Hareem took to her YouTube channel with her husband Syed Bilal Shah to issue her comment on recent news that has been circulating on social media and clear up the misinformation. According to it, the couple had been arrested at an airport in Türkiye and a large amount of gold and foreign currency had been recovered from them.

“A [piece of] news against me has been circulating on social media, electronic media, print media all morning — a lot of them [media outlets] contacted me as well but I was busy at the time. A few days back, there was fake news about me claiming I’d been reported in Qatar. I stayed silent because what am I supposed to say about this kind of fake news? Every other day people spread fake news saying something against me that’s false,” she said.

The TikTok star talked about the role of Pakistani media in taking ‘news’ without confirming its authenticity. “When there’s not one bit of truth in something, they [still] use it to defame the person by playing the news against them. I think it is to insult other people. Are you not responsible enough to check the validity of the news you’re broadcasting to the masses? You keep announcing such mistaken things day by day, I don’t know what you’re trying to prove by spreading misinformation. What narrative of my own am I supposed to add to this?”

Hareem said she has consulted her lawyer and that he will look into the matter. “I will take legal action against all these channels. The way all of them — electronic media, print media and social media — were celebrating, honour and dishonour is in the hands of God and no such thing has happened. I deny all false news against myself and continue with this announcement. You have previously spread fake news about my husband as well, ever since his name has joined mine. You used to put me down but now you have started speaking against him and spreading such fake news.”

The social media celebrity turned to her husband and asked for his opinion on the recent news. He described in great length how he had previously been accused of money extortion and of being part of the land mafia. When he registered a case against these agencies in the high court, they refused to answer. He said it’s because they have no evidence against him. This is the same pattern for the fake news they periodically take against them.

Hareem reverted the discussion to the media outlets and addressed them once more, “This is the kind of journalism in Pakistan? Are you willing to show such unauthentic things on media channels? There is no place for the truth? Bring things forward with proof. When will you stop spreading false news? If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you when the wolf actually arrives. I don’t know what war you’ve waged against me that you consider it sawab [reward] to spread [these lies].

“There is a legal way to do things, there are laws in Pakistan and we will choose the right way to proceed with this, with a legal procedure and method. Our lawyer Munir Ahmed Khan is with us and we do after consulting his advice. We are too busy to provide narratives for these small matters. What PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) says about this, our lawyer will find out and take charge of the matter,” she concluded.