Tech 4 Peace
What is the truth about arresting a cleric praying for rain in Pakistan?
A picture circulated on social media platforms with the following text: "Pakistan: the Pakistani authorities arrest an imam who prayed for rain, then the heavy rains turned into floods and led to great losses of life and property, and according to the Public Prosecution, this imam will stand trial on charges of sabotage and damage to public and private property without intending for this happen.”
The Truth:
By searching to verify the circulating news about the arrest of a cleric after he prayed for rain with his prayers in Pakistan, we did not find any source to prove that it is true, and none of the local or international Pakistani websites reported similar news.
And the attached picture belongs to a Pakistani cleric named (Aziz Rahman), who was arrested by the Pakistani authorities in mid-2021 on charges of sexually assaulting one of his students.
The cleric denied the accusation in a video statement on social media, saying that he had been drugged before filming.
The re-circulation of this image with the false claim comes after a flood of monsoon rains hit Pakistan this week, leaving more water on top of waters that had accumulated for more than two months of floods that killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of millions.
Records showed on Thursday, September 15, 2022, the number of victims of floods that have not previously inundated large areas of Pakistan in this way has risen to nearly 1,500 people, at a time when the authorities are looking to strengthen relief efforts to support the millions affected by the disaster.
In the first update of the death toll nationwide since September 9, according to what was reported by the National Disaster Management Authority, the number of deaths reached 1,486, including about 530 children, which means that this period witnessed 90 new recorded deaths.
