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      • Indian Media Trolled For False...
      Fact Check

      Indian Media Trolled For False Claims Of 'Civil War' In Pakistan

      This week, certain Indian media outlets along with social media handles spread misinformation about a civil war happening in Pakistan.

      By - Archis Chowdhury |
      Published -  23 Oct 2020 12:39 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      Listen to this Article
      Indian Media Trolled For False Claims Of Civil War In Pakistan

      Mainstream media outlets in India along with some popular social media accounts have been abuzz with talks about 'civil war' happening in Pakistan. However, experts believe this to be a disinformation campaign that grossly misrepresents an ongoing political crisis in the country.

      In response, Pakistani media challenged the narrative by their Indian counterparts by fact checking the claims around a civil war, while social media users had a field day trolling the Indian media with photoshopped images of supposed violence happening in Pakistan.

      Also Read: Unrelated Picture Of Man Being Flogged Misidentified As Bhagat Singh

      If you were following the news this week, you may have come across news segments and articles about violence breaking out in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan. These segments and articles talk about clashes between the Pakistan Army and Sindh Police, and an explosion that happened last Wednesday, claiming 5 lives.

      #ImranUnderSeige - Civil War breaks out in Pakistan.

      Clashes between Sindh Police and Pakistan Army.

      Chorus for Imran Khan's ouster grows.

      Massive explosion in Karachi kills 5@Arunima24 reports from New Delhi.

      Join @AnchorAnandN on #TheRightStand pic.twitter.com/aMDXNwX5yq

      — CNNNews18 (@CNNnews18) October 21, 2020

      3 dead, 15 injured in Karachi blast as 'civil war' like situation emerges in Pakistanhttps://t.co/J0851qpyM4#karachiblast #Karachi

      — Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) October 21, 2020

      The same narrative was also pushed out by some highly popular accounts, with some being verified as well.

      Pak army takes over Karachi's police stations as clashes break out between police & army in Sindh following bomb attack that kills 5. Casualties could mount amid civil strife against PM @ImranKhanPTI #karachiblast

      — Minhaz Merchant (@MinhazMerchant) October 21, 2020
      This tweet has been deleted. Click here to view an archived version.

      Some less known accounts like The International Herald (@TheIntlHerald) and Dr. APR (@drapr007) also 'reported' violent clashes in Pakistan, with one of the accounts posting an obscure video purportedly showing the supposed 'civil war' in Pakistan.

      Heavy fire between Pak Army and Sindh Police in Karachi after Pak Army tried to take custody of a Superintendent of Sindh Police Md Aftab Anwar. 5 Pak Army officers died in Firing.

      — The International Herald (@TheIntlHerald) October 20, 2020

      BREAKING : Civil war in Pakistan. Reported clashes between Karachi Police & Pak Army pic.twitter.com/tQsUWPx5pa

      — The International Herald (@TheIntlHerald) October 20, 2020

      #BREAKING : Heavy fire fight between Pak Army and Sindh Police is going on in Gulshan e Bagh area of #Karachi after Pak Army tried to take custody of a Superintendent of Sindh Police Md Aftab Anwar. #LocalSMreporting#Karachi_Referendum2020

      — Dr. APR 🇮🇳🍁 (@drapr007) October 20, 2020

      BOOM was not able to ascertain the origins of the video posted by The International Herald.

      Also Read:BJP Promises Free COVID-19 Vaccine In Poll-Bound Bihar: What We Know

      What Is Really Going On In Pakistan?

      Earlier this week, opposition parties in Pakistan held two joint rallies to protest against the Imran Khan-led government and his ties to the Pakistan Army. Soon, members of the opposition were arrested by paramilitary troops called rangers.

      Worsening the situation was the arrest of Captain Muhammad Safdar - the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, along with the 'kidnapping' of Sindh police inspector general Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar last Wednesday, in order to force him to sign an arrest warrant for Opposition leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a spokesman for Pakistan Peoples Party that currently holds power in the Sindh province.

      What About The Bomb Blast?

      Last Wednesday, an explosion in a building in Karachi's Gulshan-I-Iqbal area reportedly claimed 5 lives while injuring 20 others. According to a news report by Dawn, a bomb disposal squad was sent to the site of the explosion, but no trace of an explosive device was found.

      The initial report stated that the blast occurred due to a gas leak.

      Also Read:Video Of Russian Artillery Show Shared As Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict

      But, Where Is The Civil War?

      BOOM spoke to Karachi-based journalist Muhammad Omer Hayat, who refuted the 'civil war' narrative. "It is a gross misrepresentation of the political turmoil that is going on currently in the country. There is definitely no civil war here," Hayat told BOOM.

      Michael Kugelman, the Deputy Director of the Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars also tweeted out saying that the reports of civil war in Pakistan were false and part of a disinformation campaign.

      "Indian disinformation accounts are exploiting Pakistan's current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability," he said in the tweet.

      Indian disinformation accounts are exploiting Pakistan's current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability. Dangerous and disturbing; several of these accounts are verified, with large followings. Ugh.

      — Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) October 21, 2020

      Bina Shah, a Karachi-based writer told BBC, "I live in Karachi, where I just did my groceries, visited the bakery, bought some clothes and came home. If there's a civil war out there I couldn't find it."

      Pakistani news outlet Dawn also wrote a fact check to refute the claims made by the Indian media.

      Meanwhile, Pakistani social media had rather humorous reaction to the entire incident, with many posting photoshopped images to show the supposed 'civil war' in the country to ridicule reports by Indian media. The hashtag #CivilWarInPakistan became a top trend in the country.

      Karachi civil war has gotten so bad that my food panda delivery boy had to crawl through mine fields carrying his AK47, RPG & 9mm along with my nihari and Biryani. This thing is getting so serious. Multiple cows have been killed & people are dying of over eating. #IndianMedia 😂

      — Fakhr-e-Alam (@falamb3) October 21, 2020

      Karachi on Karachi irl:@CNNnews18: pic.twitter.com/qlgeJ9NSi8

      — meltdown dealer (@fay_alif) October 21, 2020

      Civilians testing their armor vehicles for intensive situations.#CivilWarInKarachi#CivilWarInPakistan pic.twitter.com/iURdc3F2J2

      — Dot (@_Parab3llum_) October 22, 2020

      Big newz after prolonged Civil war in karachi transformers decide to normalize the situation they have landed at karachi port.#CivilWarInPakistan pic.twitter.com/QpkJ71h92l

      — M Abdullah (@MAbdull16406539) October 22, 2020

      If the ' news reports' originating in India re troops-police firefights etc in Karachi are an example of the 5th generation warfare we are constantly being warned of, we have nothing to worry about except whatever the consequences of laughing our heads off.

      — Abbas Nasir (@abbasnasir59) October 21, 2020

      BOOM has reached out to Twitter for a comment, and the article will be updated upon receiving a response.

      Tags

      PakistanCivil WarImran KhanPakistan People’s PartyPolitical Crisis
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   Pakistan is seeing a civil war.
      Claimed By :  Indian media outlets
      Fact Check :  False
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