Claim: A video shows army officers opening fire on civilians amid recent protests in Balochistan.
Fact: The video is old and was shared on X as early as 2024.
On 8 July 2026, a Facebook user named Wasim Tajak shared a video that shows a large gathering of people dispersing after gunshots are heard. The caption reads:
“بلوچستان میں فوج نے احتجاج کرتی عوام پر سیدھی گولیاں چلا دیں”
[Translation: “The army opened direct fire on protesting civilians in Balochistan.”]
This article only aims to fact-check the video, and not the claim in the caption.
Balochistan protests
On 8 July 2026, DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry conducted a press briefing about the recent attacks in Balochistan, both of which were claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The DG ISPR stated that the first attack took place in Hanna Urak on the night between 4 and 5 July 2026 when the militants opened fire on civilians, killing four people while seven others were abducted. He also shared details of a second attack that took place on 7 July at a nearby security post at the Mangi Dam project. According to him, TTP militants killed nine police officers. Local protesters claimed 19 other police officers were abducted from the scene.
In his presser, the DG ISPR added that when more police were dispatched to the scene to rescue the kidnapped officers, 15 terrorists were killed during the clearance operation and 18 of the abducted policemen were martyred.
According to Voicepk, residents of Hanna Urak staged a protest on July 5 by blocking the Airport Road for five days. Later, Dawn quoted Shahid Rind, Balochistan chief minister’s spokesperson, saying that the sit-in ended on the night of 10 July after the kidnapped persons were released, following negotiations between Balochistan CM Sarfaraz Bugti and the protesters.
On the other hand, family members of the police officers killed in Ziarat staged a separate protest on 8 July by blocking the highway. Nadeem Khan, a freelance journalist based in Quetta who covered the protest from the field, confirmed to Soch Fact Check via phone call that the grieving family members later moved their protest near Koila Phattak. According to Khan, they demand “strong action” against militancy in the province.
The sit-in ended on 18 July after the government agreed to establish a judicial commission to investigate both the incidents in Ziarat and Hanna Urak.
Fact or Fiction?
Considering the sensitive nature of the claim made in the video, Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse-image search to trace its original source. It led to an X post by Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), dated 30 July 2024, which included the video under investigation. The caption of the post reads:
“The latest visuals from Talar Check Post depict a harrowing scene where forces can be seen firing directly at participants of Baloch National Gathering. This brutal assault has resulted in the tragic deaths of over three participants, left more than 50 injured, and caused extensive damage to approximately 230 vehicles. The Baloch Nation is enduring an dangerous crackdown by the forces, highlighting the severe and escalating repression.
#GwadarIsUnderSiege #WeSupportBalochRaajiMuchi #BalochNationalGathering”
Top: Video posted by BYC on 30 July 2024, Bottom: Video under investigation posted by a Facebook account on 8 July 2026.
Soch Fact Check looked for credible publications reporting on the BYC gathering from two years ago and found an article by Dawn. The report stated that on 28 July 2024, violence broke out during Gwadar’s Baloch Rajee Muchi (Baloch National Gathering). The publication quoted a source as saying that two people were killed and many were injured after the gathering was “stopped by security forces at the Talar check-post.” On the other hand, the officials said they acted out of self-defence as “a mob attacked the security post.”
An article by Amnesty International dated 30 July 2024 also condemned the clashes and deaths of three protesters killed in Gwadar and Talar on 28 July during Baloch Rajee Muchi (Baloch National Gathering).
Since the video under investigation predates the claim, Soch Fact Check found out that the clip is unrelated to the recent protests in Balochistan, and was originally posted two years ago during a separate incident.
Virality
Soch Fact Check first came across a viral post on Facebook with as many as 1,200 likes and 1,300 reshares. It was widely circulated on the platform with the same caption where it garnered 3,700 likes and 670 likes in separate posts too.
Conclusion: The video of army officers opening fire on protesters in Balochistan is not recent. It was originally posted in July 2024 with posts linking it to violence at the Baloch National Gathering in the province at the time.
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com