Did the Pakistani minister try to sexually assault a woman on video?

A disturbing video is currently circulating on social media that allegedly shows a Pakistani minister sexually abusing a woman. It is alleged that the man who attacked the woman is Rana Sikandar Hayat, the education minister of the state government of Pakistan’s Punjab. The video clearly shows an assault. But does it really show Rana Sikandar Hayat? FPJ decided to intervene.

What does the video show?

The video shows the woman sitting on a bed with a man in a building that looks like a house. Both the man and the woman appear to be completely frightened. The woman even cries. About 5 to 8 men appear to be cornering the couple in the room. But that’s not the most worrying thing.

A nearly bald man dressed in black hovers around the unfortunate couple in the room and periodically beats them. The man on the bed is seen feeling helpless to save himself and the girl, but still trying to protect her from the bald man’s relentless beating. The man’s facial features bear a striking resemblance to Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat.

It is not immediately clear what led to this incident.

Most disturbingly, the bald man repeatedly touches the woman inappropriately and tugs at her clothes, asking her to take them off. The woman protests weakly, but is helpless to the blows that follow. The man seems stronger than both of them.

“Kameez utaar!” (Take off your clothes), say several booming voices.

The video ends with someone saying the woman will take off her clothes if the recording is stopped.

Is it the minister who attacks the man and woman?

The Free Press Journal has learned from sources in Pakistan that the attacker in this video is NOT Rana Sikandar Hayat, the education minister in Pakistan’s Punjab government.

FPJ was also told that this particular video was filmed in Islamabad in 2021. It went viral at the time and sparked outrage in Pakistan.

So who is the attacker? What happened to him?

The man who relentlessly attacked the couple on the bed and sexually harassed the woman has been identified as a person named Usman Mirza.

After the incident, Islamabad police swung into action and arrested the man along with his accomplices who cornered the couple in the room.

According to reports in local media, the case was registered under Section 354-A (assault and disrobing of a woman), Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 341 (punishment for unlawful oppression) and Section 509 (sexual harassment) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The claim: Pakistani minister Rana Sikandar Hayat was seen on camera sexually assaulting a woman.

Result of the fact check: The claim is false. The video is from 2021 and the minister is not the attacker, but a man whose facial features closely resemble him.