Claim: An image shows a large turnout at the PTI rally held in Lahore on 21 September 2024.
Fact: The photograph is old, and appeared on the internet as early as March 2022.
On the eve of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s rally in Lahore on 21 September, X users @iihtishamm and @Lalika79 shared a photo of a PTI procession. @iihtishamm captioned it “Massive!!” while @Lalika79 wrote, “ناظرین 804 نافذ العمل ہے اس وقت لاہور میں,”
[Translated from Urdu: Viewers, Section 804 is currently in effect in Lahore.]
The two posts implied that the photo was from the rally in Lahore.
The official PML-N X account shared screenshots (archive) of posts by @iihtishamm and @Lalika79, with the caption: “When the jalsa flops, they dig up old pictures. Their desperation is showing.”
Both users deleted their posts after others pointed out that the photograph was not from the recent PTI rally. Despite this, the image has continued to circulate across social media platforms, including here on X and here on Instagram.
It is important to note that this article does not aim to verify the scale of turnout at the PTI’s recent rally in Lahore; it is a fact-check of the claims associating an old image with the recent rally.
What happened on 21 September?
On 21 September, a public gathering organised by PTI in Kahna was abruptly shut down by the district administration after the party exceeded the 6 pm deadline set in the no-objection certificate. According to Dawn’s report on the incident, the police turned off the lights and sound system and forced the attendees to leave despite assurances from the deputy commissioner that timing would not be strictly enforced.
Before the disruption, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan criticised the government’s actions in his brief address while urging that they “open ways (for conciliation) instead of blocking roads”. The rally ended in darkness as supporters turned on their phone flashlights, but the crowds thinned soon after the party leaders began to leave, Dawn’s report added.
According to Aaj News, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur, who had arrived conspicuously late to the venue, addressed the remaining attendees briefly and stated that he had reached the venue after breaking all hurdles placed by the government. In his short speech, he vowed that he will get party founder Imran Khan released, the report added
Government spokespersons later termed the rally a “flop show,” claiming low attendance despite no obstacles being placed in PTI’s path.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched the viral image and found that it is old. We traced it back to a GNN Media article from 10 March 2022. The article highlighted PTI’s decision to organise a large public gathering at D-Chowk, Islamabad, to show support for Imran Khan amid political tensions. Former Federal Minister Hammad Azhar described the rally as potentially the largest in Pakistan’s history, aimed at demonstrating public confidence in the prime minister’s leadership. While the cover photo is credited to GNN Media and shows PTI supporters with flags, it is captioned as “Representational Photo”.The caption does not detail when or where the image is from and lacks specific context.
We found another article from The Nation, dated 13 April 2022, featuring the same cover image. According to the report, former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan announced his first public rally in Peshawar following the ousting of the PTI government. In a video message, Khan invited Peshawar’s citizens to attend the rally, stating that a foreign conspiracy was behind the current government’s installation. He vowed to explain the details at the rally while reiterating the need for the protection of democracy and the importance of immediate elections. The article further noted that PTI had scheduled rallies in Karachi on 16 April and in Lahore on 24 April to continue their protest against the regime change. The article does not mention the date or location of the cover image and is associated with the announcement of the Peshawar rally in this article.
Furthermore, Soch Fact Check found posts on X by users who pointed out that the image is old. X user @leghari_safdar questioned the authenticity of the images, sharing the viral photo alongside other pictures (archive), with the caption, “If the jalsa was a hit, why are we recycling old videos and pictures?”
Another X user shared the viral photo (archive) criticising journalist Shakir Awan. He wrote, “تحریک انصاف نے روایتی جعلسازی کا آغاز کردیا
🚨🚨
شاکر اعوان پکڑا گیا۔
یہ عظمی بخاری کو بول رہا تھا کہ جلسے کی ساڑھے تین بچے تصویر کھینچی ہے۔
حقیقت میں یہ تصویر ساڑھے تین سال پرانی ہے۔
بھاگو گے کہاں شخصیت پرستو؟”
[Translated from Urdu: PTI has started its usual fraudulence. 🚨🚨
Shakir Awan has been caught.
He was telling Uzma Bukhari that the photo of the rally was taken at 3:30 pm.
In reality, this photo is three and a half years old.
Where will you run, personality worshippers?]
While Soch Fact Check could not confirm the exact time and location of the photo, its appearance on the internet as early as March 2022 confirms that it is not from the recent PTI rally held in Lahore on 21 September.
Virality
The viral photo has been shared here, here, here, here, and here on X. Archived here, here, here, here, and here.
On Instagram, it was shared here.
It was also shared on Threads here, here, here, and here.
The photo was also shared here on Facebook.
Conclusion: The viral photo of a large crowd of PTI supporters is not from the party’s recent rally that was held in Lahore on 21 September. The photo appeared online as early as March 2022.
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Background image in cover photo: Dawn News
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