Claim: A photo shows Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s ticket holder from PP-148 in poor condition in jail.
Fact: The photo is not recent, nor does it have anything to do with Ibad Farooq. In fact, it is from 2019 and shows a young man from Indian-occupied Kashmir with pellet wounds all over his body.
[Content warning: The article below contains an image some may find graphic.]
Fact or Fiction?
On 26 May 2023, Twitter user SSG of Pti (@ssgviews) posted a photo of a man with pellet wounds with the claim that it shows the condition of PTI’s ticket holder from PP-148.
“ظلم کی انتہا
یہ ہے پی پی 148 تحریک انصاف ٹکٹ ہولڈر عباد فاروق کا جیل میں موجودہ صورتحال اف اتنا ظلم افسوس یہ تو کافروں سے بھی بدترین نکلے ہیں
[ The end of cruelty
This is the current situation of PP 148 Tehreek-e-Insaf ticket holder Ibad Farooq in jail. It’s sad that these people are even worse than heretics.
#PakistanUnderFascism],” his tweet reads.
A reverse image search through Yandex led Soch Fact Check to a tweet made on 17 August 2022 by user Khalil Ahmed (@FreeKashmer).
The tweet reads as follows:
“#7000PelletInjuries & with at least #700EyeInjuries, 400000 to 450000 families affected directly. Majority of Kashmiris suffering from PTSD ( Post traumatic Stress Disorder )
NO KASHMIRI CAN FORGET THE ABOVE AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO FIGHT TO IN THEIR OWN WAYS TO END OCCUPATION.”
Taking a cue from this, we did a keyword search on Google and found this article on non-profit news organization Religion Unplugged, carrying the same photo. It is titled, “Photo Essay: 50 Injured In Kashmir’s Worst Protest Since India’s Crackdown”.
The photo taken by Delhi-based journalist Avinash Giri is captioned, “The young man was hit badly by lead pellets all over his body. The injured protestors were attended by the locals themselves inside the mosque as they could not be taken to any hospital due to restrictions in the area. The locals claim it was the worst attack against protesters since Aug. 5. Photo by Avinash Giri.”
Soch Fact Check found that Ibad Farooq’s video message made rounds on social media on 17 May. He condemned the violence following Imran Khan’s arrest on 9 May.
Farooq had also announced to return the PP-149 Lahore ticket and said that he would contest the upcoming elections as an independent candidate.
He has been arrested twice in connection with the vandalism of a police van during the PTI’s Jail Bharo movement and in relation to the 9 May incidents, respectively, according to a report.
Virality:
The claim was found here, here, here , here and here.
The photo was shared here, here, here, here, here and here on Facebook.
Conclusion: PTI lawmaker holder Ibad Farooq has been misidentified in the viral photo. It actually shows a young Kashmiri man with pellet wounds.
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