BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • Fact Check
      • Politics
      • Zee News, Firstpost Misreport...
      Politics

      Zee News, Firstpost Misreport Tomato Protest In Pak With False Shia-Sunni Spin

      BOOM found that the viral video shows protests by local farmers in Kalat district, Balochistan against the Pakistan government's decision to import onions and tomatoes from Iran and Afghanistan,

      By - Anmol Alphonso |
      Published -  14 Sept 2022 4:46 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      Listen to this Article
      Zee News, Firstpost Misreport Tomato Protest In Pak With False Shia-Sunni Spin

      A video showing farmers throw away crates of tomatoes from a truck in Kalat district in Balochistan, has been misreported by Indian news outlets and social media users adding a false Shia-Sunni angle to the incident.

      BOOM found that the farmers were protesting against the Pakistan government's decision to import onions and tomatoes from Iran and Afghanistan fearing imports would undercut their produce.

      The incident in the video took place against the backdrop of Pakistani authorities importing onions and tomatoes from neighboring producers Iran and Afghanistan in light of the soaring prices and impending food crisis, after catastrophic floods across the country.

      In the viral video, a group of men can be seen tossing several crates of tomatoes off a truck protesting its import from Iran. Another video is also viral, which is made by a Tik Tok user adding a voice over and his face at the side of the viral video making the claim that the tomatoes were being discarded because they were 'Shia tomatoes'.

      The viral video was aired by Zee News with the caption of the show's headline - "'Shia Tomato' in Pakistan" and repeating the same false claim that tomatoes were destroyed by Sunni Muslims in Pakistan because it was from Shia Muslim majority Iran.


      The channel also ran a video of a man commenting on the viral video making the false claim that the protestors destroyed the tomatoes because they were 'Shia' tomatoes. The news report does not mention the identity man or the source of this video, which is actually made by a Tik Tok user.


      Click here to view, and here for an archive.

      Firstpost also misreported the incident with an article with the headline, "Shia tomatoes! Pakistani 'Sunni' farmers destroy tomatoes from 'Shia' Iran that came as aid". The article cites social media users with a line reading, "The bizarre reason as per social media is that the tomatoes are from a Shia country and so Sunni extremists will not allow it."


      Click here to view, and here an archive

      The viral video was also shared by several other Twitter users with the false claim including journalist Taha Siddiqui, defense analyst Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) and TV9 Bharatvarsh journalist Ravi Mishra.

      Also Read:No, Burj Khalifa Did Not Display Sri Lankan Flag After Asia Cup 2022 Win

      FACT-CHECK

      BOOM found that the viral video shows protests by local farmers in Kalat district, Balochistan against the Pakistan government's decision to import onions and tomatoes from Iran and Afghanistan, as they believe it would lead to financial losses for their crops.

      We did not find any credible Pakistani news organisation reporting any Shia - Sunni angle to the protest by local farmers in Kalat district of Balochistan.

      Taking a hint from the viral video, we ran a keyword search using 'tomatoes', 'destroyed' 'Iran' on Twitter and found a tweet by Pakistani journalist Murtaza Solangi, Executive Editor of Nayadaur Media.

      Solangi tweeted on September 10, 2022, dismissing the sectarian angle stating that the reason according to the protesters was that their crops was ready and the government should stop importing.

      This video went viral since yesterday alluding a sectarian angle when farmers/traders of Mangochar, Qalat, 120 km South West of Quetta destroyed tomatoes and other vegetables coming from Iran. The protesters said their crops were ready and govt should stop the import. #FactCheck pic.twitter.com/reWzFtaJbV

      — Murtaza Solangi (@murtazasolangi) September 10, 2022

      Taking a hint from this, we then search for news reports on the incident in Kalat and found several Pakistani news reports on the incident reporting that the reason for the protests cited by local growers was that they would face significant financial losses amid imports of tomatoes and other vegetables from Iran and Afghanistan.

      Pakistan news channel Geo News reported on September 9, 2022, that a man had been arrested from Kalat's Mangchar area in Balochistan for throwing several crates of Iranian tomatoes off a truck to protest the Pakistani government's decision to import the vegetable.

      The report has visuals from the same viral video and adds that protests were held against importing tomatoes from Iran and local landowners had blocked the Quetta-Karachi national highway and wasted thousands of kilograms of imported tomatoes.

      It further quoted Commissioner of Kalat - Daud Khilji stating that an accused had been arrested and apprehended after being identified with the help of the viral video and raids were being conducted to arrest other suspects in the case.


      Click here to view

      We also found other Pakistani news reports reporting on the incident, like the below Aaj TV report which states that local farmers in Kalat were protesting against the import stating that their crops are ready and they would incur losses due to imports from Afghanistan and Iran.

      Gulf News reported on September 10, 2022, reported that several farm owners and growers gathered in Mangochar town, Balochistan had blocked the Quetta-Karachi national highway by putting boulders and barricades, suspending traffic. It further quoted an official stating that the protesters had intercepted a vehicle loaded with tomatoes imported from Iran and started looting or throwing tomato boxes on the road.

      It further added that the Balochistan Zamindars Association, which organised the protest believed that local growers would face significant financial losses amid imports of tomatoes and other vegetables from Iran and Afghanistan as their crop, ready to hit the market, would not fetch the right price. The Balochistan Zamindars Association has however condemned the destruction of tomatoes and distanced itself from the incident.

      Tags

      PakistanShiaSunniTomatoesBalochistanKalatIranFake NewsFact Check
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   Video shows tomatoes being discarded in Pakistan because they were sent from Shia majority Iran
      Claimed By :  Zee News, Firstpost
      Fact Check :  False
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!