Claim: Police personnel pulls out the nails of a young protestor at a recent PTI dharna.
Fact: This video is not from a recent PTI dharna. According to multiple statements from police officials, the police constable was trying to snatch a sharp object or blade from the protestor’s hand. While Soch Fact Check can confirm that this video is not recent, we have not independently verified statements by the Punjab Police.
Fact or fiction?
This video on Facebook is from one of the many posts that claim that Punjab Police personnel removed the nails of a protester out while he attended a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dharna. The caption reads, “پی ٹی آئی کے دھرنے میں ایک نوجوان کے ناخن پولیس والا پلاس سے کھینچ رہا ہے ۔۔۔۔ ظلم کی انتہا [In a PTI sit-in, a policeman is pulling the nails of a young man. Extreme cruelty.] Rana sahib Punjab police action. INNALILLAH WAINNA ILAHY RAJEOUN.”
Examples of posts with similar captions can be seen here and here.
The video is, in fact, from April 2021 when it went viral on Facebook with similar accusations against the Punjab Police. Examples of posts from then can be seen here and here.
After the video went viral in April 2021, the Punjab Police had released an official statement claiming that the person in the video was a drug dealer wanted by the police in relation to multiple cases. The statement asserted that the police constable in the viral video was snatching a blade from the alleged drug dealer, not pulling out his fingernails. The police statement shared on Twitter also includes a picture of the accused with his face semi-blurred but his fingers and nails intact. However, Soch Fact Check has not been able to confirm if the man pictured in the Punjab Police statement is the same person in the viral video.
Recently the police posted another statement in which they reshared their earlier statement and added, یہ اپریل 2021 کی پرانی ویڈیو ہے جس کو دوبارہ شیئر کیا جارہا ہے۔ کلپ میں دیکھا جا سکتا ہے کہ (منشیات فروش) ملزم کے ہاتھ سے بلیڈ کو کھینچا گیا۔ ملزم گرفتاری کے ڈر سے اہلکاروں پر بلیڈ سے حملہ آور ہوا تھا۔
[This is an old video from April 2021 that is being shared again. It can be seen in the clip that the blade was pulled by the hand of the (drug dealer). The accused attacked the officers with a blade for fear of arrest.]
Virality
According to a CrowdTangle analysis conducted by Soch Fact Check, the search term, “یہ وڈیو دیکھیے جس میں لانگ دوران ایک پولیس والا پی ٹی ائی کے کارکن سے کھڑے کھڑے ناخن نکال رہا ہے [Watch this video in which a policeman is pulling out a PTI member’s nail during the Long March]” turned up four posts on Facebook across 13 interactions over the 30-day period leading up to 30 May 2022.
Fasih Muzaffar’s post received 224 views and Baber Sajjad’s post received 45 views.
Conclusion: The video in question is not from a recent PTI dharna, it can be found online as early as April 2021.