Fact-check: False claims of PTI supporters vandalising tollbooth debunked

Following a political rally by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Lahore, Punjab, social media users repeatedly shared a video claiming that it showed PTI supporters vandalising a public tollbooth after refusing to pay toll charges before entering the city.

The video sparked accusations on platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), with some labeling the PTI as a “terrorist organisation” for damaging public property.

The claim is false. The video is unrelated to Pakistan.

Claim

On September 22, a Facebook user posted an over one-minute CCTV footage, purportedly showing people damaging a toll booth. “These ill-mannered people, instead of paying the toll tax for their vehicle, began destroying [the toll booth],” the caption reads, “This is the real face of PTI.”

The claim was also widespread on X, formerly known as Twitter, where some accused the PTI of being a “terrorist organisation” for damaging public property.

The claims can be viewed here, here and here.

Fact

A reverse image search and closer inspection confirm that the video was in fact recorded in Bangladesh, and not Pakistan.

Using Google Images, Geo Fact Check found that the video has been online since September 18, which predates the political rally held by former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI in Lahore on September 21.

As per a report by Dhaka Tribune, the incident took place on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway at the Kuril toll plaza, when people traveling in a pickup truck began arguing with toll plaza employees and broke the barrier.

Dhaka Tribune’s report can be read here.

Separately, the vehicles in the video have number plates that do not match the format used in Pakistan, further debunking the claim.

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