Mansoor Ali Khan clarifies Maryam Nawaz’s cancer rumours

LAHORE: Journalist Mansoor Ali Khan on Friday issued a strong rebuttal against viral social media posts falsely claiming he had reported a cancer diagnosis for Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The controversy erupted while the Chief Minister was in Geneva for medical checkups. A post, later shared by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, attributed a claim to Khan suggesting that the CM had been diagnosed with the life-threatening illness.

Journalist Denies Attribution Responding to the misinformation, Mansoor Ali Khan clarified that no such claim was made in any of his vlogs. "This is an absolute wrong attribution," Khan stated. "It’s sad to see such fake posts being attributed to Maryam Nawaz. I would request the authorities to take legal action against this page."

Information Minister Azma Bokhari also condemned the rumors, describing the spread of false information regarding an individual’s health as highly condemnable.

In a detailed clarification provided in his YouTube vlog, Khan explained that his reporting was, in fact, the opposite of what was being circulated. Citing sources currently with the Chief Minister in Geneva, Khan reported that when he inquired about the cancer rumors, he was told they were "completely false and baseless."

He further detailed the medical context, noting that the Chief Minister is undergoing follow-up tests related to a thyroid issue from two years ago. "At that time [two years ago], there were suspicions that it could be cancer, but it was later confirmed that it was not," Khan explained.

Timeline for Recovery According to the journalist, medical and cardiac tests have been conducted, with reports expected within three days. A medical board will subsequently review the results to decide on any further course of action.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is expected to return to Pakistan a few days after the return of her spokesperson, Maryam Aurangzeb, who is scheduled to land home within the next 24 hours. This visit marks another instance where the CM's medical trips to Geneva have been met with intense social media speculation, much of which has been previously addressed and denied by the PML-N leadership.