Dawn Images

It’s never a dull day in Pakistan. Case in point: a flood reporter who went viral for screaming on a boat, only for the internet to discover later she wasn’t exactly who we thought she was.

Meet Mehrunnisa, the reporter who had everyone holding their breath (and chuckling a little) when she delivered her ‘live coverage’ of the Punjab floods aboard a swaying boat.

“As you can see, the water pressure is rising,” she began with the gravitas of an actual correspondent, before immediately breaking character to squeal in panic: “Bohat dar lagrahi, kabhi ye iss side pe hoti kabhi us, balance nae hora humse (we are so scared, the boat is shifting to one side then to another, we can’t balance).”

She signed off with a plea that was nothing short of iconic, “Bas ap hamare liye dua karein guys (please just pray for us guys).”

The internet was instantly obsessed. “She’s cute!” many users declared. “Cutie, stay safe,” one gushed.

Someone else made it philosophical, “balance nahin ho raha hum se — she’s talking about life in Pakistan, not just the floods.”

But the lovefest took a twist when people began to notice her mic branding. Was this really BBC Urdu’s newest star reporter? Not quite.

Turns out, the “BBC” mic she was holding wasn’t from the British Broadcasting Corporation but from another similar-sounding channel calling itself “BBC Urdu News Punjab TV.” For a hot second, we thought this might just be a rogue intern situation. BBC Urdu quickly stepped in to clear the air: nope, no connection, no affiliation, nada.

The broadcaster issued a statement warning audiences to beware of impostors and reminding everyone that if you don’t see it on their verified platforms, it’s not them. A polite but firm, please stop cosplaying as us.

“It has come to our attention that a digital media company called BBC Urdu News Punjab TV is operating in Pakistan using the BBC’s name,” their statement, originally in Urdu, read. “The BBC has no connection with this organisation or its reporters, and this organisation has not been authorised to use the BBC’s name in this manner. We request BBC audiences to verify the presence of any content published under the BBC’s name on the BBC’s official platforms before trusting it.”

But Mehrunnisa wasn’t about to back down. In another viral clip, she confidently addressed the allegations: “They say we copied BBC. But their BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation, and our BBC stands for… Bhai Bhai Channel.” Delivered, of course, in the same baby voice that launched her into the spotlight.

This time, users commended her confidence. The same confidence that we all wish we had.

Some also revisited the iconic lines delivered by Momin Saqib.

Branding rip-offs aside, one can’t deny Mehrunnisa’s unshakable commitment to her role. The videos of Mehrunnisa online have been shared by accounts claiming to have posted them “on the request of the owner of ‘BBC Urdu News Punjab TV’. Whether or not the ‘Bhai Bhai Channel’ ever resurfaces online (so far, we can’t find their official accounts), her boat-side coverage has already cemented itself in Pakistan’s internet hall of fame.