The video dates from March 26 and shows clashes outside the US consulate following the assassination of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei
Several pro-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and anti-government accounts on social media platform X have since Monday shared a video claiming it shows Pakistani security forces firing directly at unarmed protesters in Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. However, the footage is from Karachi, where police clashed with protesters near the US consulate in March.
On Sunday, four policemen were killed and at least two protesters died in violent clashes outside the Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot after police moved against supporters of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The unrest was sparked by the death of a businessman who was reportedly shot during a confrontation with law enforcement on Saturday, where protesters demanded the withdrawal of JAAC’s ban.
The unrest in the territory continues amid an internet and communications failure, which has resulted in several unsubstantiated reports of exchanges of fire 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 their earlier posts, posted a video online showing a clash between policemen and protesters. The caption read: “In Rawalakot, police have fired directly at the protesters. As you can clearly see in the video, police thugs are beating a Kashmiri with batons.”
The post accumulated 69,000 views.
Another pro-PTI account, based on their earlier post, shared the same video on Monday with a caption claiming (translated from Urdu), “The number of martyrs in Rawalakot has crossed 200, including children, elderly and youth.”
The post received 44,000 views.
An anti-state account posted the same video on Monday, with the caption: “The Republic of Balochistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the direct firing and killing of unarmed Kashmiri protesters in Rawalakot and other areas of PoK by Pakistan’s invading forces.”
It got more than 19,000 views.
Another pro-PTI user, building on their earlier post, shared the same video on Monday with the following caption: “Police have opened fire directly on unarmed civilians in Rawalakot.”
The post received more than 7,000 views.
An X-user claiming to be a journalist from New Delhi, India also shared the same video with the following caption: “Pakistani forces indiscriminately fire on civilians in Pak Occupied Kashmir to demand basic rights and dignity.”
The post collected 4,294 views
An anti-government account posted the same video on Monday with the caption: “Violent clashes between security forces and JAAC protesters resulting in significant casualties.”
That post got 4,000 views.
The video was subsequently shared by several other accounts, which can be seen here, here, here and here.
Method
A fact-check was launched to establish the veracity of the claim due to its virality and high public interest in the unrest in AJK.
It was observed that some comments noted that the video was not from AJK but an old one from Karachi.
A reverse image search yielded one YouTube videodated March 3, uploaded by Samar Abbas, identified in his profile as the Karachi Bureau Chief of Public news.
The video, titled “After US Consulate Karachi attack, SSP Keamari Amjad Sheikh and officers removed 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 was subsequently carried out for news reports around the same date and yielded a story on 1 March published by English media Dawn.
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 firing on protesters in AJK’s Rawalakot is False.
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.
