The Pahalgam terrorist attack occurred on April 22, when five armed militants targeted tourists in Baisaran Valley, near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The assailants, armed with M4 carbines and AK-47s, killed 26 civilians, primarily tourists, making it the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, conducting precise strikes on multiple terrorist facilities within Pakistani territory without crossing the Line of Control or the international border. The operation utilised indigenous Akash missiles and suicide drones, showcasing India’s advanced military capabilities.
In the above backdrop, an image is being widely shared on social media in which people are seen wailing over the death of some people and giving them martyrdom status.
The video is shared with a caption claiming that it shows people giving martyrdom status to terrorists killed by the Indian army. A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Secular pigs and Congress sycophants, count the bodies of terrorists. Beating their chests, everyone is shouting Kalma-e-Shahadat, Kalma-e-Shahadat.” (Translated from Hindi)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is old and shows victims of a road accident.
We closely observed that the viral video has a watermark text that reads, “AD Malick.”
On a Google reverse image search, we found the longer version of the same video uploaded by a YouTube channel, AD Malick, on April 8, 2025. The video was shared with a caption suggesting it showed the victims of an accident that happened in Jaranwala, Pakistan, in which 11 people of the same family died. At around 11 seconds, we can see the same video.
We further searched with appropriate keywords and found that the incident was also reported by many media organisations.
We further searched with appropriate keywords and found that the incident was also reported by many media organisations.
According to a report published by Dawn on April 6, 2025, suggested that a tragic collision between a bus and a loader rickshaw near Lundianwala, Faisalabad, Pakistan, claimed the lives of 11 family members and injured several others.
The incident was also reported by a Chinese news website on April 7, 2025. According to the report, 11 people were killed and eight others injured in a road accident in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province. The incident happened in Jaranwala district, where a speeding bus collided with a rickshaw, resulting in the loss of 11 lives, including women and children, according to the police in the area.
Therefore, we can ascertain that the viral video is old and unrelated to the Pahalgam attack.
