The video dates from March 26 and shows clashes in front of the US consulate following the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran.
Multiple pro-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and anti-state accounts on social media platform However, the images come from Karachi, where police clashed with protesters near the US consulate in March.
On Sunday, four policemen were killed and at least two protesters were killed in violent clashes outside the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalakot, after police moved against supporters of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The unrest was sparked by the death of a shopkeeper allegedly shot during a clash with authorities on Saturday, when protesters were demanding the withdrawal of the JAAC ban.
Unrest in the territory continues amid an Internet and communications blackout, due to which there are numerous unsubstantiated reports of exchanges of gunfire between protesters and security forces, resulting in deaths and injuries.
how it started
On Monday, a user who appears to be pro-PTI, based on his previous posts, posted a video online showing a clash between police and protesters. The caption read, “In Rawalakot, the police have been shooting directly at the protesters. As can be clearly seen in the video, the police goons are beating a Kashmiri man with batons.”
The publication accumulated 69,000 views.
A second pro-PTI account, based on its previous posts, shared the same video on Monday, with a caption that read (translated from Urdu): “The number of martyrs in Rawalakot has exceeded 200, including children, elderly and youth.”
The publication received 44,000 views.
An anti-state account posted the same video on Monday, with the title: “The Republic of Balochistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the direct shooting and killing of unarmed Kashmiri protesters in Rawalakot and other areas of PoK by the invading forces of Pakistan.”
It received more than 19,000 visits.
Another pro-PTI user, building on his previous posts, shared the same video on Monday with the following caption: “Police have directly opened fire on unarmed civilians in Rawalakot.”
The publication received more than 7,000 views.
An
The publication obtained 4,294 visits.
An anti-state account posted the same video on Monday with the caption: “Violent clashes between security forces and JAAC protesters resulting in significant casualties.”
That post received 4,000 views.
The video was later shared by several other accounts, as can be seen here, here, here and here.
Methodology
A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and high public interest in the unrest in AJK.
It was noted that some comments pointed out that the video was not from AJK but an old one from Karachi.
A reverse image search returned a youtube videodated March 3, uploaded by Samar Abbas, identified in his profile as the head of the Karachi office for public news.
The video, titled “After attack on US consulate in Karachi, SSP Keamari Amjad Sheikh and officers dismissed for negligence”, contains the same footage in higher resolution. A road sign clearly visible in the clip reads “Karachi Port”, “Kemari” and “Shershah”, confirming the location as Moulvi Tamizuddin Khan Road (MT Khan Road), Karachi.
A keyword search for news reports around the same date was subsequently conducted and returned a March 1 article published by an English media outlet. Sunrise.
The report documented violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement outside the US consulate in Karachi following the assassination of former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the article, protesters attempted to storm the consulate, prompting security forces to fire tear gas in an attempt to disperse them.
Fact Check Status: False
The claim that a viral video shows security forces shooting at protesters in AJK’s Rawalakot is FAKE.
The video is old and shows clashes between police and protesters in Karachi in March after Khamenei’s assassination.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan, a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
