KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur praising forces for saving Bannu from calamity

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team investigated official statements from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister’s office following the Bannu incident.

Multiple posts circulating on social media platform X since July 19, 2024, shared a screenshot of KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur in a press conference praising military forces for saving Bannu amid ongoing protests. However, the screenshot is from a previous press conference overlaid with a fake statement attributed to the KP CM.

Residents of Bannu organised a peace rally against the newly announced counter-terrorism campaign, Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, on July 19. However, tensions escalated when the crowd marched towards the Bannu cantonment, setting fire to tents set up by security forces to guard a portion of a wall damaged in a terrorist attack.

Shots were fired from an adjoining area towards the tents. Security forces returned the fire, and in the ensuing gunfire and melee, at least one person was killed and scores were injured.

The incident was denounced by opposition parties, including the PTI, who called for a judicial investigation of the incident.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 19, 2024, a photo was shared by social activist Qazi Muhammad Tahir of an alleged Geo News screenshot of a press conference of CM Gandapura with a quote attributed to him in the ticker underneath saying: “Forces saved Bannu from destruction.”

The caption of the post itself said: “Curse on your life. The army opened fire on the otherwise peaceful march and instead of condemning it, you are engaged in boot-polishing.”

The post was viewed by close to 18,000 people and also shared by other social media users here and here

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest due to its relevance to the current situation in Bannu.

Checking official press releases and statements from the KP government or the CM Office showed no quote attributed to the chief minister as the one in the shared screenshot regarding the Bannu incident.

A video message from CM Gandpur on the Bannu situation, posted on the PTI’s official YouTube channel on July 21 also showed no statement as the one in the screenshot.

Meanwhile, a reverse image search on the screenshot traced it back to a press conference with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on May 27, 2024, to address the issues of load shedding in KP. The media talk was covered in a report by Geo News Urdu the same day.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding a statement from KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur praising the forces for their role during the situation in Bannu is false.

No such statement was attributed to the chief minister in any official press material from his office on the incident or in his video message while the screenshot of a Geo News image of his press conference is from an older media talk in May.

Evidence and References

May 27, 2024, Geo News Urdu report:
https://urdu.geo.tv/latest/366604

July 21, 2024, KP CM video message on Bannu incident:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQsvzFXu18c