Claim: A video shows supporters of Imran Khan marching in protective gear amid the February 2026 nationwide PTI protests.
Fact: The clip is old and appeared as early as November 2024.
On 16 February, an X user posted a video (archive) apparently showing PTI demonstrators in
protective gear. The description reads: “What is going on in Pakistan”.
Another user shared the clip on the same day (archive), writing: “People protesting in full protective gear.”
In the clip, Imran Khan’s voice says, “Reach Islamabad. If you don’t have a car, go by bus, [God willing, God willing]. If you don’t have a bus go on a motorcycle, [God willing, god willing]. If you don’t have a motorcycle, go on a bicycle, [God willing, God willing] and if you don’t have a bicycle, come by walking.”
The claim circulated as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf staged countrywide protests on 13 February. Protests erupted after Imran Khan’s lawyers told the Supreme Court that the incarcerated PTI founder had lost 85% vision in his right eye.
BBC reported: “His lawyer Salman Safdar, who was permitted to visit his client in prison this week, said the former cricketer began experiencing blurred and hazy vision three to four months ago,” and the report added, citing Safdar, that, “But, despite telling the jail superintendent, no action was taken beyond giving him eye drops…”
Opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), which includes the PTI, staged a sit-in outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on 13 February and demanded that Khan be shifted to a private hospital for treatment.
A medical board appointed by Pakistani authorities that examined Khan claimed that his vision had improved. However, his sister, who spoke to Al Jazeera, said the family had rejected the board’s claim.
Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 on various charges, but he has denied any wrongdoing.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes and found that the video is unrelated to the recent protests in Islamabad.
On 4 January, an Instagram user posted the same clip (archive) with the following caption [translated from Urdu into English]: “Pakistanis! Get ready. The time has come! Under the courageous leadership of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, we will move towards Islamabad and create a new history.” This indicated that it predated the recent PTI demonstration over Khan’s deteriorating health in February 2026.
Further reverse searches yielded an even older version of the same clip, dating back to November 2024. The TikTok account of PTI member and Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had shared the same footage (archive) on 15 November 2024, with the following description: “24th Nov Final Call #sohailafridi #imrankhan #foryou #viral #PTI”. The image below shows a comparison of both videos :
Left: Clip circulating in February 2026. Right: same video from November 2024.
The caption here refers to the march and protests by supporters of PTI in Islamabad in late November 2024, calling for the release of Imran Khan. However, this clip, as indicated by the TikTok user’s upload date, also predates the demonstrations in late November 2024.
A Facebook user posted the same clip (archive) on 18 November 2024.
Although Soch Fact Check could not confirm the exact origins of the clip, but the fact that it appeared in early November 2024 confirms that it is old.
Virality
The clip was shared on X here, here, here, and here.
On TikTok, it appeared here.
Conclusion: The video does not show supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf protesting in protective gear in November 2026. The clip is old and has been posted online since at least November 2026.
Background image in cover photo: Dawn
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