Claim: A video shows PTI protesters swimming across a river to reach Islamabad amid road blockades.
Fact: The video was first shared online on 1 September 2023, disproving the claim that PTI protesters swam across a river to attend the 24 November 2024 protest at D-Chowk.
On 25 November, the Instagram account Dialogue Pakistan, which describes itself as a citizen journalism portal promoting ethical reporting, shared a video of PTI protesters swimming across a river, some of whom carried party flags. The caption read:
“ISLAMABAD: In an effort to reach Islamabad for a planned protest, workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were seen swimming across a river, bypassing road blockades and other barriers.”
Journalist Wajahat Saeed Khan also shared the video (archive) on X, writing, “Not since Partition, perhaps not ever in Pakistan’s history, has a group of people mobilised for a political cause in this way. This is next level.”
PTI protest in Islamabad
Imran Khan, the jailed PTI founder and former prime minister, called on his supporters to gather for a protest at D-Chowk in Islamabad on 24 November 2024. In response, party leaders and supporters began mobilising from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Punjab toward the capital.
The federal government fortified security measures by placing containers at strategic locations, including Srinagar Highway, GT Road, the Expressway, Islamabad Airport, and the A-11 point on New Margalla Road, restricting access to key areas, particularly the Red Zone housing critical government buildings, according to The Express Tribune. Rangers, police, and Frontier Constabulary were deployed to monitor the area. PTI leaders, however, vowed to overcome these barriers using private machinery, emphasising their constitutional right to peaceful protest, the report added. Authorities also announced suspended mobile data in certain areas and throttled the internet and social media to varying degrees around the country.
Read more: Islamabad Police did not chant Imran Khan’s name while marching
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued stern warnings against entering D-Chowk, with the police and law enforcement agencies deploying aggressive crowd control tactics. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters attempting to enter the area, actions which critics argue violated the right to peaceful assembly. According to the BBC, at least six people were killed during the confrontation.
Dawn reported that the number of casualties among PTI marchers remains a significant point of dispute between the government and the PTI. The party has claimed that 6 to 20 of its supporters lost their lives due to law enforcement action, while the government has denied any fatalities. Burials of several alleged victims in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were reported, but no autopsies were conducted, the report added.
On 26 November, Islamabad was cleared of protesters after the army was deployed and the Interior Ministry issued a notification invoking Article 245. The PTI announced a temporary suspension of the protest on the following day, citing “government brutality” and the authorities’ plans to turn the capital into a “slaughterhouse,” The Guardian reported. The party claimed dozens were killed in live firing by police and the army on Tuesday night, and released names of eight victims then. “The Guardian could not verify PTI’s figures of the dead,” the report added.
As many as 500 PTI workers and supporters were arrested. In light of the government’s response, “Amnesty International called for a prompt, thorough, impartial, effective and transparent investigation into the deaths and injuries of protesters as well as the unlawful use of force including lethal and less-lethal weapons by security personnel.”
Read more: No, these images have no connection to the PTI’s protest in Islamabad
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Amer Farooq criticised the government’s mishandling of law and order during the 24 November protest, accusing authorities of unnecessarily shutting down the city and failing to protect fundamental rights, including business operations. He emphasised accountability for both the government and PTI and directed the Ministry of Interior to submit a detailed report.
As of 7 December, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) ordered the imprisonment of 17 PTI activists who were arrested during the D-Chowk protests following the completion of their 11-day physical remand.
Soch Fact Check has not yet been able to verify the number of deaths and injuries due to the internet shutdown and widespread press censorship.
The country has since been experiencing widespread internet slowdowns, with disruptions reported on popular social media platforms, according to Aaj News. The disruptions are believed to be linked to the second phase of firewall testing, reportedly aimed at monitoring and regulating internet content amid politically charged narratives following PTI protests, reported Dawn. While the government denies using the firewall for censorship, critics argue that the lack of transparency raises concerns about curbing online freedoms. Economic losses due to such disruptions are estimated at $2.2 million per hour, significantly impacting the IT sector and gig economy.
IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja dismissed concerns about internet slowdowns and clarified that the firewall is part of long-standing cyber security measures. The government also confirmed it has no plans to ban VPNs, encouraging users to register for secure access. However, reports of a task force investigating alleged “propaganda” about the PTI protests highlight ongoing efforts to manage politically sensitive content online, added the Dawn report.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes of the video and discovered that an extended version of the video was shared (archive) on Facebook as early as 1 September 2023. The video was jointly shared by the accounts Abaseen News HD and Abaseen Rang with the caption:
“آپ لوگوں نے ریلیاں تو بہت دیکھی ہوگی لیکن دریا میں ریلی نکلتے نہیں دیکھی ہوگی، آج یہ بھی دیکھ لیں👇”
(Translated from Urdu: You all must have seen many rallies, but you’ve probably never seen a rally happening in a river. Witness this today👇.)
The viral clip was taken starting from the 4:00 mark of the video which shows men of various ages swimming across the river, some of whom are carrying PTI flags.
Abaseen News HD informed Soch Fact Check, “Young people organised a rally in the Bazarkalay area of Swabi along the Indus River on 14 August to celebrate Independence Day.”
To verify the context of the video, we conducted a keyword search but did not find any news reports covering the event. As a result, we could not independently confirm the details related to such a rally.
However, the video’s appearance online as early as September 2023 confirms that it is not related to PTI’s November 2024 protest.
Virality
The video was shared here, here, here, and here on X. Archived here, here, here, and here.
On Facebook, it was shared here, here, and here. Archived here, here, and here.
It was also shared here, here, here, and here on Instagram.
Conclusion: The claim that PTI protesters swam across a river to reach Islamabad for the 24 November protest at D-Chowk is false. The video was originally shared online as early as September 2023 and is unrelated to the recent PTI protests.
–
Background image in cover photo: Reuters
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com