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Multiple people, including journalists, shared an alleged Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan handout on social media platform X on September 30, 2026, that showed the terrorist organisation expressing support for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the provincial government. However, the document is fake.

CLAIM

Viral handout of TTP in support of KP CM Sohail Afridi

RATING JUSTIFICATION

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search and visual analysis of the document.

Multiple people, including journalists, shared an alleged Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) handout on social media platform X on September 30, 2026, that showed the terrorist organisation expressing support for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the provincial government. However, the document is fake.

Political uncertainty has deepened in KP amid growing tensions between the federal and provincial governments, with the Centre considering governor’s rule and emergency as possible options due to the security situation.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry recently said that the federal government was “seriously” considering imposing an emergency in response to the worsening security situation in the province. Federal ministers have also harshly criticised the KP government for its performance against terrorism and its handling of the provincial security situation. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has accused the PTI of working in tandem with the TTP.

This comes while the PTI has been gearing up for a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad to press for the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. However, CM Afridi has postponed the march to October 4, 2026.

HOW IT STARTED

On September 30, Wajahat Kazmi, a journalist and chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s Sindh Council of Complaints, shared an alleged document from the TTP with the following caption: “TTP openly comes out in support of CM KP Sohail Afridi and the PTI government in the province. This explains why the PTI govt is creating hurdles in operations against the Indian sponsored Fitna Al Khwarij.”

The post gained 49,500 views.

Senior journalist Waqar Satti also shared the same image with the following caption: “TTP has also jumped into the fray in defence of Sohail Afridi. The banned organisation’s purported statement has raised several new terrifying questions.”

The post accumulated 24,000 views.

Editorial cartoonist Sabir Nazar also shared the same image with the following caption: “These remnants of Ahmad Shah Durrani, the plunderer, are also sitting ready to loot Punjab once again.”

It gained 1,400 views.

Similarly, the same image was also shared by other users on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here and here, further amplifying the claim.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its dangerous nature of associating a politician with a banned militant outfit and to mitigate the harm from its propagation.

Reviewing the terrorist outfit’s social media channels, where it normally releases its statements, showed that nothing of the sort was shared.

Instead, a denunciation was found that labelled the alleged document as being fake.

Dawn correspondent Tahir Khan, who covers foreign affairs and security, with a focus on militancy, terrorism and conflict, also confirmed the same regarding the lack of any such document’s release and the outfit’s subsequent denial.

Comparing the letterhead of the alleged document with a handout from its social media channel showed that the former used an older letterhead, different from the terrorist outfit’s recent format.

Reviewing recent TTP statements showed that they carried the Islamic year “1448”, whereas the circulated document showed “1444” at the bottom.

Checking the Islamic calendar issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony confirmed the current Islamic year was “1448”. The alleged document’s date was therefore four Hijri years out of date, further undermining its authenticity as a recent statement.