Fact-check: Viral claim of Pakistani flag burning in Kurram is false

Social media in Pakistan is circulating claims that, following recent violence in the Kurram district — which led to road closures and a shortage of essential supplies — the people of Kurram burned the Pakistani flag in protest against the government.

This claim is false. The images being shared are not from Pakistan.

Claim

On January 20, a Facebook user posted an image of people burning the Pakistani flag, with the caption: "Lower Kurram's Bagan area update: Today in the Bagan area of Kurram district, the people of Bagan set the flag of Pakistan on fire in broad daylight."

The post had been shared over 970 times and liked more than 50 times at the time of writing.

Identical claims were shared here, here and here.

Fact

The image in question was actually taken in Afghanistan's Kunar province, not in Pakistan.

A reverse image and keyword search reveal that the picture was first published by Reuters on May 14, 2013. The caption states that the image shows Afghan protesters burning a Pakistani flag during a demonstration against border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

You can view the image here.

The image also clearly shows protesters holding the Afghan flag, further confirming that the event took place in Afghanistan, not Pakistan.

Verdict: The claim that people in the Bagan area of Kurram burned the Pakistani flag is false. The image actually shows Afghan protesters burning the Pakistani flag in May 2013 during a demonstration in Afghanistan's Kunar province in response to border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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