Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
“Two daughters of Mehbooba Mufti, Iltija and Irtiqa Mufti. One became IFS via backdoor and now working in London. 2nd acts in Bollywood, she was seen in Omkara Movie. Both lives normal Non Islamic Life but Mehbooba Mufti wants all Kashmiri Girls to live in Burqa.”
Fact
The viral claim about Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter is fake. Irtiqa Mufti did not act in the Omkara movie as mentioned in the claim. The other daughter Iltija Mufti is not in London as an IFS officer, but has been living in Srinagar since 2015 until recently, when she relocated to UAE for higher education.
A social media post taking aim at the family of former Chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti has gone viral on social media. The viral X post claims that Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Irtiqa Mufti was a Bollywood actor, and featured in the film Omkara while her other daughter Iltija got a job in London as an IFS officer, through backdoor channels.
The viral post, shared by Imtiaz Mahmood, has 24.9K likes, 8602 retweets and over 1.1 Million views.
This viral post can be viewed by clicking here.
The same post has also been shared by several other social media users on both X and Facebook. They can be viewed by clicking here, here, here and here.
The post has been viral on various occasions in the past as well. They can be seen here and here.
Newschecker also received the same claim on our WhatsApp tipline (+91 9999499044) to be fact checked.
Fact Check/Verification
In order to ascertain the fact of the viral image, we conducted a Google reverse image and keyword search. During this process, we came across a report by Hindustan Times on August 27, 2023, titled “No, my daughter did not act in Omkara: Mehbooba Mufti on ‘non-Islamic’ allegation.”
The report carries a tweet of the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, where she clarified that her brother Tassaduq had worked as a cinematographer in the film OMKARA. However, she clearly stated, her eldest daughter Irtiqa Mufti (Irtiqa Iqbal) did not act in the film.
Subsequently, we looked up the cast and crew information of OMKARA, released in 2006, on IMDb.com, which confirmed that Tassaduq Hussain was indeed the cinematographer for the film. However, we found no mention of Irtiqa Mufti or Irtiqa Iqbal.
Rejecting the claim by Imtiaz Mehmood that Iltija Mufti was working in the Indian consulate in London as an IFS officer through ‘backdoor channels’, the former chief minister tweeted that her younger daughter has been in Srinagar since 2015.
A look at the Foreign Service officers in London on the official website of The High Commission of India also shows that there is no individual named Iltija Iqbal or Iltija Mufti currently employed there. However, during our search, we came across the name Ovessa Iqbal, who is working there as First Secretary (Political & Extradition). Notably, Ovessa Iqbal is the first woman from Jammu and Kashmir to be nominated to the Indian Foreign Service.
On the other hand, Iltija Iqbal or Iltija Mufti is said to have recently been appointed as Mehbooba Mufti’s Media Advisor. We found these details in a report by The Indian Express. The report can be read by clicking here.
We had checked the X (Twitter) profile of Iltija Mufti to find out the truth here. Its details read – Media Advisor to Ms Mehbooba Mufti .
Iltija Mufti has also been in the news recently over her the issue regarding her passport. Iltija Mufti, whose passport had reportedly expired on 2nd January, 2022, initially received a two-year country-specific passport, but later obtained a regular passport from the Srinagar Passport Office after a high court plea related to her plans for education in the UAE.
Conclusion
The viral claim is false. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s eldest daughter was not acted in OMKARA. On the other hand, the younger daughter is not currently working as an Indian Foreign Service Officer in London, but also as a media advisor to her mother or Mehbooba Mufti. So, the claim made in the viral post is false.
Results: False
Our Sources:
1. Report by Hindustan Times, dated August 27, 2023
2. Report by Indian Express, dated 30 August, 2023
3. X post by Mehbooba Mufti, dated August 27, 2023
4. X post by Imtiaz Mahmood, dated August 25, 2023
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
