Widespread protests have erupted in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) against the Pakistan government. The unrest has turned deadly, with reports of Pakistani security forces firing on demonstrators.
In the above context, a video showing police firing at a large crowd has gone viral on social media. Users are sharing the clip, claiming it shows the recent security crackdown in Rawalakot, PoK.
A social media user shared the video and wrote, “Pakistan has gone two steps ahead of India. During a protest in PoK, when stones were pelted at the police, 12 were shot dead.”
SouthCheck found that the video is false. The viral video shows a clash near the US Consulate in Karachi in March, triggered by the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader.
On a Google reverse image search, we found the longer version of the video on the YouTube channel of Samar Abbas, a Pakistani journalist. The video was uploaded on March 3, confirming that it is not from the recent June protests. The YouTube description identifies the video as showing a clash between police and protesters near the US Consulate in Karachi.
A screenshot of the video was also shared by a Facebook page on March 3. The caption stated the violent protests reportedly erupted in Karachi after demonstrators opposed to US actions against Iran attempted to breach the US Consulate.
Security forces initially used tear gas and batons before opening fire as clashes intensified. Reports cited in the post claim that 10 to 16 people were killed in Karachi and dozens injured. The post also alleges unrest in other parts of Pakistan, including curfews in some regions and temporary closures of US diplomatic facilities.
We further found that the screenshot of the same video was shared by All India Radio on March 1. The caption read, “In Pakistan, ten people have been killed in violent clashes in Karachi. Several others were injured when police confronted protesters marching towards the US Consulate. The protesters, largely from the Shia community, had gathered in large numbers earlier today. They were demonstrating following reports of the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes. Authorities say the situation is now under control. Security has been tightened across the area.”
We further searched with appropriate keywords and found that the incident was also reported by The Business Standard on March 2.
According to the report, in Pakistan, violent demonstrations outside US diplomatic facilities left at least 23–25 people dead, with major clashes reported in Karachi, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan. Meanwhile, some Iranian exile communities in Europe and elsewhere celebrated the development, highlighting sharply divided reactions to the conflict.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral video is old and unrelated to PoK protests.
