Old video of a rally for Imran Khan in Pakistan resurfaces after his supporters demand his release

Thousands of supporters of former Pakistani President Imran Khan defied roadblocks and gathered in a suburb of the capital Islamabad in September 2024. However, a video that circulated on social media after the rally dates from when he was still prime minister. AFP journalists said the location seen in the footage did not host a large demonstration for Khan on the day of release.

The video, which shows a huge crowd, has been viewed more than a million times since it was posted on Facebook on September 8, 2024.

The caption in Urdu read: “Sea of ​​people in Islamabad.”

The post was published on the same day that Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), held its biggest demonstration in Islamabad since he was jailed last year on multiple charges, some of which are still pending in court (archived link).

Despite attempts by the authorities to block the protesters' main access routes to the capital, thousands of Khan's supporters gathered in the capital's Sangjani district.

The video, along with a similar false claim, was also shared on Facebook here and here and on social media site X here and here.

However, a reverse image search for keyframes using Google Lens revealed that it was footage of a rally released by PTI on March 27, 2022 (archived link).

At that time, supporters of then Prime Minister Khan gathered for a rally when a vote of no confidence was presented to him in Parliament (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison of the mistakenly shared video (left) and the PTI video (right) with similar elements highlighted by AFP:

The caption of the video read: “Now it’s the parade ground, various rallies will follow!”

“Parade Ground” refers to the area in the Shakarparian Mountains in Islamabad where the Pakistani military parade takes place every year (archived link).

An image of protesters raising PTI flags was geotagged on Google Maps at Shakarparian Parade Ground in March 2022 (archived link).

Access to the site is closed to the public all year round and AFP reporters said no rallies were held there on September 8, 2024 – the day the false posts began circulating online.

Khan was deposed in 2022 after falling out with the military. He has been in prison since August 2023 on charges that he says are aimed at preventing him from returning to office.

AFP has repeatedly debunked misinformation about Khan.