Fake News on Social Media: Claim of Prayer on Container Was Actually a TikTok Video, Says Minister

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Atta Tarar, has accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of spreading fake news on social media and engaging in “politics of corpses.” He was responding to recent claims that a man was seen praying on a container during the protests, stating that the person in question was, in fact, filming a TikTok video, not praying.
In a statement, Minister Tarar criticized PTI for spreading false narratives about deaths during protests in Islamabad. He accused the party of using videos from 2019, including those from Gaza, and claiming they were from recent protests at D-Chowk. “PTI is trying to divert attention from its embarrassment over the escape of its leaders by manipulating public sentiment with fake death tolls,” he said.
He pointed out that PTI had yet to provide any concrete evidence to back up its claims of fatalities, including videos or data. “Sometimes, they claim there are 100 deaths, other times only 16, and at other times, just five. Whenever they see a funeral procession, they put their party flag on it,” he added. He also mentioned that hospitals like PIMS and Polyclinic had not received any bodies from the protests.
Minister Tarar also highlighted that PTI members were involved in firing with AK-47 rifles during the protests, and while media outlets had shown videos of the gunmen fleeing, PTI had not posted any videos of the security forces firing on the protesters. “It’s been three days, and PTI has still not released any footage of the security forces firing,” he said.
Tarar concluded by emphasizing that this false propaganda would not succeed, as the government would ensure proper legal proceedings and punishment for those responsible.