Claim: An image claims to show the authorities’ crackdown on PTI’s rally at D-Chowk, Islamabad on 4 October.
Fact: The viral image in the claim does not accurately depict PTI’s 4 October rally at D-Chowk. A visual comparison with images and footage from the site and AI analysis highlight significant discrepancies, indicating that the image has been digitally manipulated.
On 5 October, X user @MuhammaddNawaz shared an image, writing, “Last night D-Chowk 😡
@amnesty @amnestysasia @hrw”
On the following day, a Threads user shared the same image (archive) writing, “- Pakistan situation right now! 💔🇵🇰
What happened at D Chowk?
On 4 October, the federal government suspended mobile networks and internet services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while police blocked all entry points to both cities in anticipation of a PTI rally, according to Aaj News. Clashes were reported between PTI supporters and police, the report added. A Dawn report revealed that police began tear gas shelling in an attempt to disperse protesters. “Proceedings are under way wherever there are attempts to hurt police or damage property. Till now, there have been over 30 arrests. We are updating the exact numbers. It is very clear that we have a clear message that we will not allow the law to be taken into own hands,” Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi was quoted in Dawn.
Later at night, Pakistan Television Network (PTV) posted a statement on its official X account announcing that the army had taken over security duties in the capital. The statement noted that the army had begun patrols to protect citizens’ lives and property while maintaining law and order, emphasising that no one would be allowed to disturb the peace.
According to Al Jazeera, Ali Amin Gandapur, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led thousands of protesters who camped overnight on the Islamabad-Peshawar highway on 4 October. The report further stated that the PTI also held a separate gathering in Lahore on 5 October where road closures were enforced even though it had described the Islamabad protest as a one-day event.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check initially looked up news coverage of the protest to compare it with the image in the claim. An article by Dawn featured a carousel of images spanning from day to night, which revealed that the viral image does not resemble D-Chowk. There were noticeable differences in the actual setting, besides that both images show different angles.
A comparison of the viral image with images from the site reveals several differences. The viral image shows only buildings surrounding the road, whereas D-Chowk has wide pavements lined with trees both in the centre and along the sides, as is evident in the images. Additionally, the actual images show an overhead bridge and a sign board at D-Chowk that are missing in the viral image.
A live stream of the protest by Samaa TV featured a reporter at D-Chowk, where the area appears largely empty and dark, with barricades behind him. Another report on the protest by Hum English included an image of D-Chowk, showing containers and barricades that were placed to block protestors; but they are not visible in the viral image.
In Samaa TV’s coverage, the reporter wore a protective mask (possibly a gas mask), but there is no heavy smoke visible throughout the stream, unlike the thick clouds of smoke shown in the viral image. While the tear gas operation produced significant clouds of smoke, the density and spread of the smoke in the viral image appear exaggerated. The glowing street lights depicted in the image are not visible either. Therefore, it seems that the image was enhanced or manipulated in some way.
While multiple local news outlets reported that the police used tear gas to disperse protestors, none mention the use of drones to deploy tear gas, which raises questions about the authenticity of the viral image. Drones—such as those by Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI)—are designed with downward-facing sensing systems that stop detecting obstacles beyond 15 metres. These limitations make it highly impossible for drones to fly in such tight formations without risking collisions, making the scene depicted in the image even more unlikely.
Interestingly, the figures on the left side of the viral image look distorted and featureless, which suggest the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in some way. Soch Fact Check, therefore, used Hive Moderation, an AI-powered content moderation tool, to analyse the image. According to the results, the “Natural” score of 0.54 suggests that there is a 54% chance the image is a real photograph from the natural world as opposed to being AI-generated. The “Animated” score of 0.30 indicates a 30% likelihood that the image could be an animation, such as a digital illustration or CGI (computer-generated imagery). Lastly, the “Hybrid” score of 0.16 implies a 16% chance that the image is a mix of real and AI-generated elements, meaning it could include both natural and digital components.
We also analysed the image using Sight Engine, a content moderation and image analysis tool that detects AI-generated media. The results indicated a 98% probability that the image is AI-generated. According to the results, there is a 95% probability that the diffusion model used is MidJourney. MidJourney is a generative AI platform that creates images from text prompts using advanced diffusion techniques.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, could not ascertain if the image is entirely AI-generated, but the software analysis suggests that an existing image was likely enhanced or manipulated with the use of AI tools.
Lastly, considering the visual discrepancies pointed out earlier, the image does not appear to show the 4 October protest at D-Chowk/the image does not appear to be of D-Chowk at all.
Virality
The image was shared here, here, and here on Facebook.
It was shared here, here, here, and here on X. Archived here, here, here, and here.
On Threads, it was shared here (archive).
It was also shared on Instagram here and here.
Conclusion: Soch Fact Check found that the image in the claim does not depict PTI’s 4 October rally at D-Chowk. A comparison with actual images of the site from the day of the protest highlights key discrepancies in the setting. Additionally, AI analysis indicates a high probability that the image was digitally manipulated.
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Background image in cover photo: Dawn
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