Fact-check: Viral images and videos unrelated to Islamabad operation
Fact check of some of the most viral videos and images which claim to show violence after a security forces operation in Islamabad on Nov 26
Updated Wednesday Dec 04 2024
On November 26, after law enforcement launched two operations in Islamabad to clear areas following protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) supporters, demanding the release of their jailed leader, images and videos began circulating on social media, claiming to show widespread bloodshed in the capital after the operation.
We fact-check some of these claims:
Trigger Warning: This article discusses topics related to violence, which some readers may find distressing.
Claim: On November 28, a user, @ImranRiazKhan, shared a picture on X (formerly known as Twitter) of a main thoroughfare, allegedly in Islamabad, covered in blood. The user claimed the photo showed authorities washing the crime scene at D-Chowk in Islamabad after large numbers of PTI protesters were allegedly shot.
Fact: Geo Fact Check’s investigation found that this image was likely created using publicly available artificial intelligence (AI). Several inconsistencies suggest the image is AI-generated:
1. The man in the foreground has his feet positioned unnaturally, inconsistent with how a walking person moves.
2. A bus on the left side of the image appears incomplete.
3. The road depicted does not match any leading to D-Chowk in Islamabad. All major roads leading to D-Chowk are dual carriageways, whereas the image shows a single road.
Claim: On November 28, a user, @Sufisal, shared a picture on social media, implying it showed dead bodies being loaded into an ambulance after a security operation against PTI protesters on November 26. The image was shared by several other users making similar claims.
Fact: A combined keyword and reverse image search found that the picture is not from Islamabad. It is from Gaza and was posted by a journalist on November 1, following an Israeli attack on a Palestinian refugee camp.
Claim: On November 27, social media users shared a 37-second video purportedly showing patients lying on a hospital floor, with a doctor talking about state brutality.
Fact: This video predates the PTI protests in Islamabad. An investigation revealed that the video is at least three years old and was first posted online in 2021.
Claim: An X user shared a 25-second video of dead bodies, claiming it showed the aftermath of the operation in Islamabad against PTI protesters. The video was shared by several users making identical claims.
Fact: The video predates the PTI protest in Islamabad and can be traced back to at least 2019. Older posts featuring the video can be viewed here.
Claim: On November 30, a user on X, @ARYSabirShakir, posted a short clip with the caption that it showed the mother of an alleged “martyr” after the PTI protest in Islamabad.
Fact: By keyword and Google image reverse image search Geo Fact Check found that the viral video dates back to at least October, which is prior to the PTI protest on November 26.
The video can be viewed here.
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