Viral video of vehicles bumping over potholes on Karachi road

Rating Justification

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and searched for visual clues to locate the original video.

Posts from multiple users on social media platform X on February 20, 2025, posted a video of cars and buses speeding over potholes on a road, attributing it to Karachi and the shoddy performance of the Sindh government. However, the video is from China.

The PPP-PML-N partnership has recently been fraught with tension with second-tier leaders trading barbs and criticising each other’s provincial governments in Punjab and Sindh over performance-related issues.

Separately, there are ongoing construction activities in Karachi for transport projects that have led to roads being dismantled and creating traffic issues for the public.

HOW IT STARTED

On February 20, an X user, who was a PML-N supporter according to his X bio, shared a video of cars, buses, and trucks speeding and bumping over potholes with overlaid text: “One beautiful road of Karachi.”

The clip was accompanied by a photo of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other party leaders.

The caption of the post read: “Since the city of Karachi is not adorned with natural landscapes, the Sindh government has intentionally designed this road in such a way to give its citizens the feeling of natural jolts. Please don’t start cursing them thinking otherwise!”

The post was viewed by 129,500 users and was shared here and here with the same caption.

It was also shared on Facebook and TikTok.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and high public interest and frustration at the state of public infrastructure and the condition of roads in Karachi.

Conducting a reverse image search yielded a low-quality, flipped version of the video on Facebook dated June 30, 2021, with the caption: “The attached video was shared with us. It seems to be making its rounds on Chinese social media. We don’t know where this was filmed, but it is definitely alarming. Roads get damaged by rain. If you don’t see the pavement when driving, please slow down. Not only do potholes like these can cause vehicle damage but they could also be life threatening. With Halik cold asphalt, potholes of any size can be patched quickly and easily. The work can be done under rain and even if the pothole is water-filled, such as those in the video.”

A further keyword search on Google led to a link on Chinese website Bilibili, featuring the longer version of the video.

The video was analysed frame by frame to verify its similarity to the viral clip. However, it’s important to note that the video had multiple edits throughout, and the account had shared several different videos from the same location.

It showed a clearer view of the street with Chinese banners on display as well as the passing trucks featuring the Mandarin language.

At the 40-second mark, a truck with a Mandarin inscription can be seen passing by, translating to Zhejiang, Shanghai.

Furthermore, an already archived link of the video was also found with the title: “An old video of a bad road in China goes viral in the name of Maharashtra.”

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that a video shows the horrible condition of a road in Karachi filled with potholes as cars bump over it is misleading.

The video was traced back to a Chinese website and the banners and vehicles in it displaying Mandarin text suggest that it was most likely from somewhere in China.

Evidence and References

October 10, 2020, BiliBili video:
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Wp4y1k7vT/