Video from Pakistan shared as traffic jam in Himachal due to tourists

A photo of vehicles deadlocked in traffic on a hilly road is viral on social media. It has been claimed these are tourists who had come to visit Himachal Pradesh and are now trying to get out of the state. ‘The Himalyan Club’ Twitter handle shared the video with the same claim. The post was retweeted by film director Vinod Kapri who later took it down and so did the handle.

Actress Bhairavi Goswami also tweeted the video.

Facebook user Pankaj Sharma also posted the clip, writing, “Tourist returning from Himachal Pradesh after landslides”. (Archive link) Numerous users shared the video on Facebook and Twitter as Himachal Pradesh.

Video from Pakistan

A user replied to the viral tweet with another tweet posted by Destination Pakistan, a travel website. It said, “Situation at Balakot-Naran Road. Too many tourists heading towards the northern areas after Eid.”

Situation at Balakot-Naran Road. Too many tourists heading towards the northern areas after EID. pic.twitter.com/9z2vecC3yJ

— Destination Pakistan 🇵🇰 (@destinationpak) July 25, 2021

Pakistani news channel 24NewsHD reported on the massive number of tourists caught in traffic at Kaghan Valley on July 25, 2021. The image carried by the outlet resembles scenes from the viral visuals.

Daily Times, another local outlet, also covered the incident on July 26. It stated that tourists flocked to the Kaghan valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district in record numbers to celebrate Eid. Hundreds and thousands of vehicles were choking the roads and causing traffic jams. The police revealed that a whopping 700,000 vehicles had entered the valley.

Alt News had earlier debunked old visuals of Himachal Pradesh shared as recent. However, it is noteworthy that Himachal has seen crowds in large numbers after travel restrictions were removed.