Imran Khan supporters share old photo in posts about Pakistan rally arrests
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on March 15, 2023 at 03:24
- 2 min read
- By Wasi MIRZA, AFP Pakistan
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"Ladies and gentlemen this is occupied Pakistan," reads a tweet posted on March 10.
"These are workers of the largest political party of Pakistan @PTIofficial being treated like terrorists by its own police."
The photo shows several people lying face down on the ground while surrounded by armed officers.
Pakistan has been in turmoil since ex-prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan was booted from power in April 2022.
The former cricketing superstar has held huge rallies pressuring the fragile coalition that replaced him to hold early elections.
He suspended a rally in Lahore on March 8 following clashes between police and protesters in which the PTI said one of their workers was killed.
The police refuted PTI's claim and said the worker died in a car accident.
Several protesters were also detained by police for allegedly violating a ban on public gatherings.
The same post was shared by various pro-PTI accounts on Facebook and Twitter, including here, here and here.
Rawalpindi shootout
A reverse image and keyword search on Google found the photo in a Facebook post by Rawalpindi police published on May 31, 2022.
Rawalpindi is a district northwest of Lahore.
The photo shows the men, whose faces have been pixelated, lying on the ground surrounded by police.
The Urdu-language Facebook post says "Shootout between private housing societies in Chauntra and Chakri police station", referring to two villages in the Rawalpindi district.
Mafias have been blamed for an increase in illegal housing societies in Pakistan, where private developers build houses without government approval.
"Grand operation of Rawalpindi Police," the Facebook post adds. "We will ensure a zero-tolerance policy against occupation mafia."
Below is a screenshot comparing the photo in false posts (left) with Rawalpindi police's photo (right):
The photo also featured in a report by Pakistan's Dunya News on June 1, 2022.
"34 accused arrested and heavy quantities of ammunition recovered including eight Kalashnikovs, seven .303 rifles, one Raptor and 18 pistols," the Urdu-language article reads.
A spokesman for Rawalpindi police confirmed the photo was taken during a "crackdown against land grabbers and illegal arms in the Chauntra area".
"Several arrests were made during the crackdown and legal proceedings are in progress against the accused persons," Sajjad Ul Hassan told AFP on March 14.
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