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Edited video mistakenly shared as Pakistani politician’s ‘apology’ for protests

An edited video of Ali Amin Gandapur — a politician from former Pakistani President Imran Khan's party – appeared online with the false claim that it showed him apologizing for the violent protests that rocked the country after Khan's arrest in May 2023. In the original video, he actually says he would apologize if there was evidence of his involvement in the unrest.

“It is my mistake and it was a mistake. I went to Corps Commander House Peshawar and apologised,” said an Urdu post on X (formerly Twitter) which shared the video on August 11.

“Imran Khan also made mistakes. He should admit his mistakes and apologize.”

The post showed a video of Ali Amin Gandapur, the senior leader of the Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI), speaking to reporters outside Adiala Prison south of the capital Islamabad.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister and ex-cricket star Imran Khan has been in prison since August 2023, when he was convicted of corruption.

His arrest on May 9 of that year sparked violent protests across Pakistan, marked by unprecedented anger at the military – which Khan had criticized after his ouster in 2022 (archived link).

Protesters stormed the corps commander's residence in Lahore and laid siege to a gate of the army headquarters in Rawalpindi. In Peshawar, a mob destroyed the Chaghi Memorial – a mountain-shaped sculpture honoring the site of Pakistan's first nuclear test (archived link).

Khan was again accused of inciting sedition, while Gandapur was charged with involvement and later released on bail (archived link).

The video shared online appears to show Gandapur apologizing and repeatedly saying, “Yes, it was my mistake.”

<span>A screenshot of the misleading post on X taken on August 22, 2024</span>” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mhOkMnlo36oth7_.R89yIA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEwNDY-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/afp_factcheck_us_713/025d9c17a71893 3e80902e359310cb6e”/ ><span></div> </div> </div> <div-Klasse=
A screenshot from August 22, 2024 of the misleading post on X

The video circulated in similar posts on X here and here and on Facebook after Khan said he would apologize for the protests if evidence showed that members of his PTI party were involved (archived link).

He had previously rejected the military's demands for an apology and accused the military of staging the violence.

Some social media users apparently believed that this was an apology from Gandapur for the unrest.

“Thank God he apologized,” commented one X user.

“Now they will gradually confess everything,” wrote another.

However, the video is edited in a misleading way.

No apology

A reverse image search and a keyword search revealed the original video posted on the verified YouTube channel of a local news station City 41 Television on August 3, 2024 (archived link).

“Is Imran Khan ready to apologise for May 9? | Big statement from Ali Ameen Gandapur | City 41”, is the title of the video (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video shared on social media (left) and the City 41 video (right):

<span>Screenshot comparison of the video shared on social media (left) and the City 41 video</span>” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XTAiNwyGtMR.MmEYaaPIOA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTI3NQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/afp_factcheck_us_713/f005e166e2fc2ea3f3 65c4006269847a” /><span><button-Klasse=

Screenshot comparison of the video shared on social media (left) and the City 41 video

Gandapur did not apologize for the protests and did not mention Imran Khan in the video.

At minute 3:10 of the footage, he said he was ready to apologize, but first his “mistake” had to be proven.

“I said on May 9 and before that, an apology was demanded,” he said in Urdu.

“Okay, I'm ready to apologize, but first I have to prove my mistake. But if it's not my mistake, but someone else's mistake, who will apologize to me?”

Local news channel Express News published a longer version of Gandapur's speech, which also does not show him apologizing for the May 9 protests or calling on Khan to do so. (archived link).

The Pakistani television channel Geo TV has also verified this claim (archived link).

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