A photograph of an injured woman is going viral over the internet with the claim that she is the daughter of Afhghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, Najibullah Alikhil. The claim came after the ambassador’s daughter Silsila Alikhil was abducted on her way home and tortured by unknown persons on 16 July, as per a statement issued by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Several social media users shared the injured woman’s photo with text that reads, “Daughter of Afghan ambassador who was kidnapped from Jinnah Super, Islamabad and thrown away after 6 hours near Tehzeeb Bakery, Blue Area Islamabad, badly tortured.”
However, it was found later that the injured woman in the viral image is transgender TikTok star Gul Chahat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in Pakistan. On conducting a reverse image search on the viral photo with the keyword as Gul Chahat led to a Facebook page run by Chahat where she uploaded the same photo on July 16. The TikTok influencer took to her Facebook aaccount and in a series of Facebook videos she showed her injuries and alleged that she had been beaten up by someone named in Shoaib. Chahat also asked for support in a Facebook live video, which was uploaded on July 16.
After digging a little more about the wronged woman, a news story was found from September 14, 2020 published in ‘TheNews.com’ (a Pakistani media outlet) where Chahat was described as a transgender woman who is popular on video sharing site TikTok. The article from 2020 spoke about growing attacks on transgender persons in Pakistan and the Khyber region.
Meanwhile, Najibullah Alikhil also took notice of the misleading viral post and in order to clarify the claim, Najibullah shared a photo of his daughter and referred to posts on social media where the wrong photo was being shared. Najibullah’s tweet when translated reads, “I was forced to post a picture of my daughter Silsila Alikhil here, because someone else’s picture was posted incorrectly on social media, even though I don’t know her at all. Thank you.”
On the other hand, an investigation was led into the alleged kidnapping of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter, but no evidence was found of abduction, Pakistan’s interior minister said Tuesday, as relations between the two countries become increasingly strained.
The Afghan foreign ministry said Saturday that Silsila Alikhil was riding in a taxi in Islamabad when she was kidnapped and held for several hours, during which she was “severely tortured by unknown persons”.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry put out a statement at the time saying she had been assaulted, adding that security for ambassador Najibullah Alikhil and his family had been tightened.
But on Tuesday Pakistan authorities casted doubt on the story as they said, “There is no case of kidnapping,” Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid told reporters at a press conference, adding that investigators had watched 700 hours of CCTV footage and searched 200 taxis.
He said the incident was being used as a way to “defame our country.” “Pakistan will not back down from this case, even though there is a huge difference between her (claim) and our findings,” he added, inviting Silsila Alikhil to help with the investigation.
Thus, it is certainly clear that two different cases are wrongly merged which are not even related to each other even in a slightest way. The picture of TikTok star Gul Chahat is shared in an incorrect way as the abducted daughter of Najibullah Alikhil.
