Video of doctor’s outburst about PTI protesters injured by state authorities in Islamabad

Rating Justification

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

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team conducted a reverse image search to investigate the video.

Posts from multiple users on social media platform X on November 27, 2024, shared a video of a doctor, claiming it showed his outburst at state violence against PTI supporters while dispersing the recent protests. However, the video is old from April 2021.

On Nov 13, PTI founder Imran Khan issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24 (Sunday), denouncing what he described as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people, and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.

Protesters entered Islamabad where tensions were running high as the army was deployed to deal with miscreants. A pitched battle erupted at Chungi No 26 — on the outskirts of the capital — on the night of Nov 25 between police and PTI protesters after an advance team of the party’s caravan reached the area.

A day of pitched battles between security forces and PTI protesters across the federal capital on Nov 26 ended in a hasty retreat of the party’s top leadership and supporters from the Red Zone in the early hours of the next day.

At least six lives were lost in the three days of protests, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who were knocked down by a speeding vehicle, officials and hospital sources said.

HOW IT STARTED

On November 27, a video of a doctor was shared on X by a user, who appeared to be a supporter of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), with the following caption, “Seeing the worst cruelty of the government on innocent workers, a doctor also cried out.”

The post used captions related to the PTI protest and state crackdown on party protesters in Islamabad.

The post gained 282,000 views and 2,100 reposts.

It was also shared here, here, here, here and here with the same caption.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the ongoing political turmoil in the protest’s fallout.

A reverse image search yielded a YouTube video posted on April 18, 2021, by a TLP channel, titled: “Everyone must listen views of doctors during treatment in Masjid Rehmat al Alameen”.

Another video shared by the channel on the same date was about police firing on TLP supporters.

A keyword search for “TLP” and “April 18, 2021” yielded several news stories from major outlets that reported that clashes between the government and the religious political party were ongoing at the time after it was officially banned after days of violent protests demanding the expulsion of the French amba­ss­ador to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s support for the publication of blasphemous caricatures.

The Rehmatul Lil Alameen Mosque is located at Lahore’s Yateem Khana Chowk, the site where the TLP was waging its protest.

Furthermore, even hearing the doctor in the video shows that it was unrelated to the recent PTI protests and did not even support the party. Instead, the doctor in the video criticised Imran, saying: “I would love to say by seeing this situation that this is not the state of Madina. Imran Khan, please don’t quote [Holy Prophet] Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) next time from your bloody mouth.”

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a video shows a doctor having an outburst about the state’s treatment of PTI supporters in the recent protests is false.

The video is old from the TLP’s protest in April 2021 and shows the doctor criticising Imran and the then-PTI government.

Evidence and References

April 18, 2021 YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLrwVEHZL-4