Video of protest in Ladakh against Hazara killings shared as PoK

by Kinjal

On January 10, @RadioChinar tweeted a video claiming that it shows a protest rally allegedly held in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’s (PoK) Gilgit-Baltistan against the atrocities inflicted on Pakistan’s Hazara community by the Pakistani Army. The video received more than 15,000 views at the time of writing. (archive link)

According to a BBC report, “At least 11 coal miners working in the Mach area of Bolan district, about 100 km southeast of Quetta, the capital of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, were kidnapped and murdered on the night of January 2. All the deceased miners belonged to the Hazara caste of Shia Muslims. Extremist organisation Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.” After the incident, members of the Hazara community held demonstrations in a number of cities in Pakistan, including Karachi.

Army General Satish Dua also quote-tweeted the viral clip. (Archive link)

Retired Major General Harsha Kakar quote-tweeted @RadioChinar’s tweet, writing, “The truth which Pakistan’s media will never share”. (Archive link)

Fact-check

Alt News performed a keyword search and found another video posted on YouTube on January 8. The title of this clip is “Kargil: Massive Protest Against Hazaras’ Killing In Pakistan”.

A YouTube channel named ‘Jkupdate’ said that the video shows demonstrations in Ladakh.

A similar hoarding appears in the YouTube video and the viral clip. Similar slogans are also heard in both.

Thus, visuals of a demonstration held in protest of the killing of Hazara Shia miners in Ladakh, India, were falsely shared as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.