Claim: A notification signed by the Islamabad District Magistrate announced a lockdown in Islamabad and Punjab province, claiming that except for essential services such as healthcare, all institutions are to remain closed and the province cordoned off.
Fact: The claim is false, and the notification is doctored. The federal government and District Magistrate did not announce a lockdown.
On 9 May 2023, a notification went viral on social media claiming that Islamabad is to be sealed and Punjab cordoned off while observing a lockdown, given the escalating political tension in the aftermath of former PM Imran Khan’s arrest. It also reads that all educational institutions will remain closed and only essential emergency services such as healthcare will remain open.
According to this notification, the District Magistrate Islamabad (DC Islamabad) signed this directive.
Fact or Fiction?
The Director General of Capital Development Authority (CDA) Islamabad, Shah Jehan, told Soch Fact Check that the notification is fake.
The image shows obvious signs that it was doctored, as the signature of the District Magistrate seems to be pasted onto it.
Soch Fact Check previously debunked a similar notification declaring a lockdown after the assassination attempt on Imran Khan in November 2022.
Virality
Soch Fact Check conducted an organic search on Facebook using the following search terms:
- “Islamabad” “sealed”
- “Islamabad” “lockdown”
On Facebook, the notification was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here between 9 – 10 May 2023.
On Twitter, the blue tick verified Indian account of Danvir Singh shared the notification here. The archived version can be seen here, here, here and here posted by other Pakistani users.
Conclusion: The notification declaring the lockdown in Islamabad is fake.