In Pakistan, there is never a dull day. For example, a flood reporter who went viral for yelling on a boat was later revealed by the internet to be someone else entirely. Meet Mehrunnisa, the reporter who, while delivering her “live coverage” of the floods in Punjab from a tilting boat, had everyone holding their breath (and giggling a little). With the gravity of a real correspondent, she opened, “As you can see, the water pressure is rising,” but then broke character to squeal in terror: “Bohat dar lagrahi, kabhi ye iss side pe hoti kabhi us, balance nae hora humse (we are so scared, the boat is shifting to one side then to another, we can’t balance).” She concluded by making the utterly famous request, “Bas ap hamare liye dua karein guys (please just pray for us guys).” The internet became enamored at once. Numerous users exclaimed, “She’s adorable.” “Cutie, be careful,” one exclaimed. “Balance nahin ho raha hum se — she’s talking about life in Pakistan, not just the floods,” someone else said, adding a philosophical touch. However, when others started to see her mic branding, the lovefest took a different turn. Was this the newest celebrity reporter on BBC Urdu? Not exactly. It turned out that the “BBC” microphone she was carrying belonged to a different, similarly named channel called “BBC Urdu News Punjab TV,” rather than the British Broadcasting Corporation. We briefly believed that this might simply be an instance of a renegade intern. Quickly clearing the air, BBC Urdu said, “Nope, no connection, no affiliation, nada.” In a statement, the broadcaster cautioned viewers to avoid imposters and reminded everyone that if anything isn’t visible on their verified channels, it’s not them. Please refrain from cosplaying as us; I’m being courteous but stern.Their announcement, which was first in Urdu, stated, “We have discovered that a digital media company named BBC Urdu News Punjab TV is functioning in Pakistan under the BBC’s name.” “This organization has not been given permission to use the BBC’s name in this way, and the BBC has no affiliation with it or its reporters. Before putting their trust in any content produced under the BBC’s name, we ask viewers to confirm that it is present on the BBC’s official platforms.Mehrunnisa, however, had no intention of giving up. She boldly responded to the accusations in another widely shared video: “They say we copied BBC.” However, our BBC stands for Bhai Bhai Channel, while theirs is for British Broadcasting Corporation. Naturally, she gave it in the same adorable voice that made her famous. Users praised her confidence this time. We all wish we had that same level of confidence. Some also went over Momin Saqib’s famous remarks again.Apart from branding rip-offs, Mehrunnisa’s unwavering dedication to her position is undeniable. Accounts claiming to have put Mehrunnisa’s videos online “at the owner of ‘BBC Urdu News Punjab TV”s request” have disseminated them. Her boat-side coverage has already solidified its place in Pakistan’s Internet hall of fame, regardless of whether the “Bhai Bhai Channel” ever makes a comeback (as of right now, we are unable to locate their official accounts).
