Old rally photo resurfaces as ex-Pakistani PM supporters stage demonstration in 2024

Published on September 15, 2024 at 10:46
Updated on September 17, 2024 at 04:11
3 min read
By AFP Pakistan

A picture of an old rally by supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has resurfaced in social media posts with a false claim that it was taken during a recent demonstration in Islamabad. The picture -- shared hundreds of times in September 2024 as Khan's party staged its largest demonstration in the capital since he was jailed -- appeared online in 2022 following a rally in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

"Despite road closures, police shelling, and obstacles, Imran Khan's party delivered an impressive power show in Islamabad today," read the English-language caption to the picture shared on social media site X on September 8, 2024.

It showed a large crowd holding flags of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party with a string of bright lights at the centre of the rally ground stretching far into the horizon.

"From jail, the ex-PM called for the rally, and local media reported a large turnout despite the restrictions," the post went on to say.

The false claim surfaced as thousands of Khan's supporters gathered in Islamabad on the day despite authorities' attempts to block the protesters' main routes into the capital, AFP reported (archived link).

The demonstration was the largest in the capital since the retired international cricketer was jailed on several charges, some of them still before the courts.

Screenshot of the false post, taken September 13, 2024

The picture has also been shared over 800 times alongside a similar claim on X here and here.

However, it was in fact taken at a rally two years ago.

Old rally

Reverse image searches on Google found the picture was shared on X here and here on April 14, 2022 (archived links here and here).

The posts said it showed a PTI protest in Peshawar the day before. The protest occurred a few days after Khan's ouster as prime minister in a parliamentary vote of no confidence on April 9, 2022 (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the picture in one of the false posts (left) and in a social media post from 2022 (right):

Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) with an old social media post about the rally in 2022 (right)

The picture also corresponded to footage shared on PTI's official X account on April 15, 2022. Its caption said: "14th April 2022, the first-ever Jalsa (rally) of Haqeeqi Azadi in Peshawar" (archived link).

"Haqeeqi Azadi" is a political slogan used by PTI that translates as "true independence".

Below is a screenshot comparison between the falsely shared (left) and the video shared by PTI (right) with the similar elements highlighted:

Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) with the PTI footage (right). Screenshot taken on September 13, 2024

A video showing a PTI rally was geotagged on Google Maps in April 2022 in Peshawar's Ring Road (archived link).

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 on charges he insists have been designed to prevent him from returning to office.

AFP has repeatedly debunked misinformation about the former Pakistani leader.

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