A photo of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former ICC Chairman Sharad Pawar greeting the Pakistan men’s cricket team ahead of the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali is being shared on social media with the misleading claim that it was taken soon after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
However, BOOM found that the photo was taken on March 30, 2011, before India's semi-final match against Pakistan, when Singh, Pawar and then Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had greeted the players.
The Claim: Photo shows Former PM Manmohan Singh and Sharad Pawar welcoming the Pakistani cricket team after 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks
The viral photo is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "Shortly after the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Pakistan cricket team came to India. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was present to welcome the Pakistan cricket team. Sharad Pawar is also seen with him. Congress's spoons, don't teach patriotism to Modi devotees, keep your knowledge to yourself"
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What We Found:
1) Photo from March 2011 before ICC ODI World Cup India-Pak Semi-final match
A reverse image search using Google Lens showed that the photo is from March 30, 2011, taken before the India-Pakistan ODI World Cup semi-final in Mohali, Punjab. On that day, then PM Singh, Former Pak PM Yusuf Raza Gilani, and then ICC Chairman Sharad Pawar had interacted with the Pakistani cricket team before the match.
2) India vs Pakistan men's cricket matches after 26/11 terror attack
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had called off the India-Pakistan bilateral series that was scheduled to take place in January 2009 in Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008. Between then and the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali, India faced Pakistan only twice, both in ICC tournaments, first on September 26, 2009, during the ICC Champions Trophy Group A match in Centurion, South Africa, and then on June 19, 2010, in the Asia Cup Group match in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.
