Fake News watchdog exposes disinformation during PTI protests

Fake News Watchdog (FNW) has issued a report on Sunday which exposed fake news, fabricated news, and disinformation spread during and after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad in November. 

The investigative piece report countered the manipulated news that disseminated during former Premier Imran Khan’s party three-day-long protest, which began on Sunday (November 24) and ended on Tuesday (November) 26.

The report highlighted fake tweets from PTI supporters claiming on X (formerly Twitter) that Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur was removing the barricades on the Motorway while on his way to Islamabad; noting that in the footage, the man in question is not Ali Amin Gandapur but rather Dr Zahoor Swati from Mansehra, a doppelganger of Gandapur.

Many news channels had aired the news that Ali Amin Gandapur and Bushra Bibi were arrested during last month's protest in federal capital. However, FNW claimed that security forces had not arrested them, as both had managed to escape from the scene.

FNW also declared YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan's tweet regarding the alleged massacre during the PTI protest "fabricate claims". The Watchdog clarified that the image he used was created by using AI to depict a non-existant scene from Islamabad with blood flowing on roads.

While debunking claims that Tahir Abbas, who fell from the three storey containers at D Chowk, had passed away, the report said that Abbas was alive, as he can be seen in a video meeting with CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur.

The Watchdog also pointed out the false reports of shootings targeting former Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser and Chief Pashtunkwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Khan Achakzai. 

“News of the PTI founder being transferred from Adiala jail turned out to be fake. Whereas, news of 600 youth resigning from army academies during the protest also proved to be baseless,” the report maintained.

The statements of PTI leader Qasim Suri regarding PTI founder Imran Khan’s health had extremely negative impacts, said the Islamabad-based organisation.

The report also declared the widely circulated claims attributed to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi regarding the alleged targeting of Kashmiri people as false.