Years-old photo of Pakistan flag in Indian Kashmir shared as recent

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As India and Pakistan celebrated their respective independence days, an old photo of Pakistan's national flag hoisted in Indian-administered Kashmir resurfaced in posts falsely presenting it as a recent picture. Kashmir has been divided between the arch-rival neighbours since their independence from British rule in 1947, with each side claiming it in full. Pakistani television channel Geo News in fact featured the image in a report back in June 2019.

The photo was shared in an August 14, 2024 post on social media site X that has since been viewed more than 75,000 times.

Its caption, referring to the capital of Indian Kashmir Srinagar, read: "#BREAKING: Pakistani flag raised by unknown men in Srinagar, Indian occupied Kashmir."

The photo shows a man with his face covered standing on a pillar and holding a string to which Pakistan's flag is attached.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the disputed Muslim-majority region (archived link).

Screenshot taken on August 27, 2024, of the misleading post on X

The photo was shared alongside similar claims elsewhere on X and on Facebook.

The posts circulated as Pakistan and India celebrated their independence days on August 14 and August 15 respectively.

A reverse image search on Google, however, found the picture is old. It featured in a report aired by Pakistan's Geo News on June 2, 2019 (archived link).

The report said the image was taken during the Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Destiny), a high point during Ramadan when Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. 

Below is a screenshot comparison of the falsely shared picture (left) and the photo in Geo News's report (right): 

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared picture (left) and the photo in Geo News's report (right)

The location of the scene corresponds to the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, as shown in the screenshot comparison below between the picture (left) and an AFP photo of the mosque (right): 

Scene corresponds to the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, as shown in the screenshot comparison below between the picture (left) and an AFP photo of the mosque (right)

The location can also be seen in an image shared on Google Maps (archived link). 

Meanwhile, the Indian government refuted the false claim in a statement posted on X by the state-run PIB Fact Check account (archived link).

"An old image is recirculating on social media claiming that Pakistan's flag was raised in Srinagar, Kashmir on 15th August 2024," it said.

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