Several leading national and local newspapers, as well as social media outlets, recently reported the alleged killing of Baloch female folk singer Mai Sabahi in a firing incident in Dera Bugti. However, the reports have been widely challenged and described as fake and misleading.
Mai Sabahi was a prominent Balochi folk artist who was widely recognized as a female folk singer. She performed publicly and also appeared on Pakistan Television (PTV). The news of Mai Sabahi’s alleged killing was reported by Dawn, ARY, Intekhab, The Current Pakistan, SAMAA News, Express Tribune, The News, and several other news outlets, with headlines reporting that a female folk singer had been killed in Dera Bugti.
Freelance journalist Dauran Baloch called out Dawn for publishing the news about Mai Sabahi’s alleged killing. In a social media post, he stated: This is a fake story. Friends and colleagues from different international media outlets have been calling me for the past four days to inquire about the reported incident involving folk singer Mai Sabahi. Mai Sabahi died in 1989 in the Kandkot area in an honour-killing case. I have written a piece about this misinformation on my social media wall. Dauran Baloch’s article about Mai Sabahi is available on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/share/1EszwotTxE/
A large number of writers and journalists have also termed the viral reports fake and criticized the media outlets for publishing the unverified information. I personally contacted prominent Baloch singers Khawand Bux Bugti and Arif Bugti regarding the viral reports about Mai Sabahi. Both described the reports as fake. They also stated that she had died more than four decades ago, sometime between 1986 and 1989.
Khawand Bux Bugti said: “I saw this news on social media, and this is fake news.” The Deputy Commissioner of South Dera Bugti also sent a letter to the Director General Public Relations (DGPR), Balochistan, expressing concern over reports published by numerous leading media outlets about the alleged killing of a female folk singer in Dera Bugti.
According to the letter, the reports contained fabricated and misleading information about the alleged incident, creating public confusion and damaging the image of the district. The letter requested the authorities to inquire into the matter and advised media organizations to verify information with the relevant government officials before publication. It also called for corrections to clarify the reports. Shahid Rind, aide to the Chief Minister of Balochistan, also addressed the reports in a Facebook post, stating: Nothing is like this.
Based on statements from journalists, local sources, Baloch artists, and the Deputy Commissioner of South Dera Bugti, the viral reports about the recent killing of Mai Sabahi appear to be false and based on misinformation. The case highlights the serious consequences of publishing unverified information, particularly when it concerns sensitive issues such as violence, honour killings, and Balochistan’s already fragile security environment.
The incident also raises questions about the responsibility of major media organizations to independently verify information before publishing breaking news. A report repeated by several major outlets does not necessarily become factual merely because multiple organizations have published it.