Viral video does not show sessions judge resigning under govt pressure; he retired upon completion of service

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan analysed the clip, conducted a keyword search and reached out to reporters.

Posts from multiple PTI supporters on social media platform X since August 20, 2025, shared a video of Additional District and Sessions Judge Ibrahim Asghar, claiming he had resigned from his position under “government pressure”. However, the judge did not mention any such thing in the video and retired upon completion of his tenure.

HOW IT STARTED

On Aug 20, an impostor account of former anchor Imran Riaz shared a video of Judge Asghar inside a courtroom. In the clip, he can be seen saluting and shaking hands with the staff before exiting the room.

The caption of the post said: “Under pressure to make a decision beyond merit, the judge resigned in a packed courtroom, saying, ‘At the very least, I cannot stoop to such dishonour’. He kissed the chair, saluted, and walked away!!”

“District and Sessions Judge, Honourable Asghar Ibrahim Sahib, is a slap in the face to those who murder justice,” it added.

The post gathered 62,300 views and was shared 2,700 times.

PTI supporter Adil Raja also shared a similar video wherein the judge can be seen walking down the podium and saluting in front of a portrait of Quaid-i-Azam. The caption of the post said: “If the conscience of all judges awakens like this, then Pakistan will truly become free.”

The post racked up 116,700 views and was shared 4,700 times.

The clip was widely shared across X by other PTI supporters too, as can be seen here, here and here.

The video with the same claim was also shared on TikTok, garnering 495,300 likes and 23,500 shares.

Headline News, a YouTube account with 12,400 subscribers that calls itself a news channel, shared the video as well. The description of the clip, which gathered 2,945 views, said: “District and Sessions Judge Asghar Ibrahim has officially resigned from his duties in the court. This unexpected resignation has created discussions across the legal and political circles.”

The clip with the claim was also shared on other social media platforms, as can be seen here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality, keen public interest in the matter and to address the potential harmful impact of such rumours.

Reviewing the video showed that the judge did not say anything about having to resign under government pressure.

Moreover, a number of X users, including renowned journalist Saqib Bashir, challenged the claims shared along with the video.

In a post, Bashir, who extensively covers courts, said: “This session judge Sahiwal, Ibrahim Asghar, retired on August 18. The viral video in which some revolution is being attributed to him is all false. I asked close sources of the judge, and it was told that the judge had a fondness for TikTok. On the day of his retirement, he fulfilled that hobby and the video went viral, but the writings on it are not correct.”

Reaching out to Dawn court correspondent Rana Bilal for corroboration, he also confirmed that the judge retired on Aug 18 after completing his service. He added that the video itself was genuine.

Further evidence of it being a retirement instead of an unexpected resignation due to alleged pressure was an Aug 19 Facebook post from legal practice The Bahawalpur Law Firm whose chairman said the judge had “concluded his remarkable judicial career upon retirement”.

The post praised the judge for his service and conduct without hinting at any sort of controversy.

Lastly, a keyword search yielded news reports from City 42 news and Roznama Dunya, dated Aug 16 and 10, well before the claims began circulating, on the judge’s impending retirement on Aug 18.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows Additional District and Sessions Judge Ibrahim Asghar after resigning under government pressure is false.

The judge retired on August 18 after completing his service.