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The 2019 article actually reported on the mistreatment of transgender persons during British colonial rule in South Asia<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n Social media users are sharing a black and white photograph published by BBC Urdu<\/i>, claiming it shows Pakistani former prime minister Nawaz Sharif\u2019s mother and grandmother, who allegedly worked as local musicians in Amritsar, India, before moving to Pakistan.<\/p>\n The claim is false.<\/p>\n A user on X (Twitter) shared the image, which shows two women standing holding a drum. The caption states: \u201cShare this post so people can understand what the Sharif family\u2019s business used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n The post further alleges that the women in the photograph are Nawaz Sharif\u2019s mother and grandmother, and claims they played the dholki (drum) in the streets of Amritsar.<\/p>\n At the time of writing, the post had received 16,401 views, 780 likes, and 465 reposts.<\/p>\n The image continues to circulate on X <\/a>and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n The viral image was taken from an unrelated BBC Urdu<\/i> article and falsely linked to the Sharif family.<\/p>\n Geo Fact Check<\/i> conducted a reverse image search and traced the photograph to a BBC Urdu<\/a> <\/i>article published on June 1, 2019, by journalist Soutik Biswas. The report actually discussed the mistreatment of transgender persons during British colonial rule in South Asia.<\/p>\n The black and white photograph shared in the viral posts appeared in the article alongside a caption referring to performers and folk musicians from the transgender community. The article made no mention of the Sharif family.<\/p>\n It also did not identify the women in the image as relatives of politician Nawaz Sharif, nor did it make any reference to his mother or grandmother.<\/p>\n The actual image was published by Bridgeman Images, which identified it as an image of a dancer and singer in the 1890s.<\/p>\n The photo can be seen here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Verdict:<\/b> The image has no connection to Nawaz Sharif or his family. It originates from a BBC Urdu news feature on the transgender community in British India and has been miscaptioned and misrepresented on social media.<\/p>\n Follow us on @GeoFactCheck on X (Twitter) and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. If our readers detect any errors, we encourage them to contact us at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n <\/body>
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\n Updated Wednesday May 20 2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMusic Claim<\/h2>\n
Music Fact<\/span><\/h2>\n
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