Claim: A video shows vehicles bumping over a pothole-ridden road in Karachi.
Fact: The video is not from Karachi or even Pakistan. The Mandarin text visible on the vehicles in the footage suggests that it was likely filmed in China.
X user @AmirHQureshi shared a video (archive) showing cars, buses, and trucks speeding over potholes, along with the text: “Karachi ki ek khoobsurat sarak”
[Translation: One beautiful road of Karachi.]
The clip also included a photo of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, and other party leaders in an attempt to hold the PPP-led Sindh government accountable.
The post was captioned: “چونکہ کراچی شہر قدرتی مناظر سے مزیّن نہیں ہے اسلئے سندھ حکومت نے وہاں کے شہریوں کو قدرتی ہچکولوں کا احساس دلانے کیلئے اس سڑک کو ارادتاً ایسا بنایا ہے- آپ لوگ کچھ اور سمجھ کر انہیں برا بھلا کہنا شروع مت کر دیجیئے گا پلیز…!!!ا”
[Translation: Since the city of Karachi is not decorated with natural scenery, the Sindh government has made this road intentionally to make the citizens feel the natural beauty of the city.]
Karachi’s potholed roads
In September 2024, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab voiced concerns over the deteriorating state of Karachi’s roads after the monsoon rains, but the World Bank-funded Competitive and Liveable City of Karachi (CLICK) project remained unresponsive, reported Dawn. Over a dozen roads rehabilitated under the program were damaged, raising questions about the project’s sustainability and quality.
The report added that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation formally sought a response from CLICK in August 2024 but did not receive a reply. Meanwhile, the KMC initiated road repairs under its control with a Rs 2 billion budget.
According to an Arab News report from October 2024, residents, including rickshaw drivers and office workers, reported vehicle damage, increased repair costs, and longer commutes due to broken roads. The complex governance system with 19 land-owning agencies makes accountability difficult, as KMC manages only 106 roads, while the rest fall under various entities, the report added.
Experts attributed the poor state of Karachi’s roads to substandard construction materials, lack of oversight, and poor engineering practices, reported The Express Tribune. The closure of asphalt plants and reliance on smuggled Iranian bitumen have worsened road quality, the publication added.
The report further stated that the authorities were criticised for appointing inexperienced engineers, neglecting post-construction evaluations, and failing to implement proper drainage systems, leading to rapid deterioration after rains. Major roads like Jehangir Road and the Expressway, built without engineering consultants, showed structural failures.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes of the video and found that a mirrored version had been shared as early as 24 October 2020 on the Chinese video sharing platform Bilibili. The footage consists of multiple clips of the same road. Though the video lacks any caption or information specifying its context or location, Soch Fact Check noted several details which suggested that the video does not show Karachi. The banners on the buildings in the background contain Mandarin text. The yellow buses seen in the viral footage are also very different from those found in Karachi. At 00:39, a truck with Mandarin text on it appears in the video. Translating the text on the truck revealed that it referenced Zhejiang and Shanghai.
The video (archive) was shared again on 30 June 2021 by the Facebook page Halik LTD which stated that the video was circulating on Chinese social media platforms at the time. It was shared with the following caption:
“The attached video was shared with us. It seems to be making its rounds on Chinese social media. We don’t know where this was filmed, but it is definitely alarming.
Roads get damaged by rain. If you don’t see the pavement when driving, please slow down. Not only do potholes like these can cause vehicle damage but they could also be life threatening.
With HALIK cold asphalt, potholes of any size can be patched quickly and easily. The work can be done under rain and even if the pothole is water filled, such as those in the video.”
While we were unable to determine the exact source and the location shown in the video evidence strongly suggests that it is not from Karachi.
Virality
The claim was shared here (archive) and here (archive) on Facebook.
On X, it was shared here, here, and here. Archived here, here, and here.
Conclusion: A viral video showing a heavily potholed road is not from Karachi. Its appearance on Bilibili as early as October 2020, along with the presence of Mandarin text on banners and vehicles visible in the video, suggests that the footage is likely from China.
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Background image in cover photo: TimesofKarachi
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