Statement attributed to army chief about Nov 26 firing on PTI protesters in Islamabad is fake

The iVerify Pakistan team has investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team conducted a reverse image and keyword search to trace the original source of the viral image along with any reports on the alleged statement attributed to the army chief.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms since December 5, 2024, circulated an image with an alleged statement attributed to Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir regarding the violence in the November 2024 PTI protest in Islamabad. However, the image is fake and there is no record of any such statement by the army chief.

On November 13, 2024, PTI founder Imran Khan issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th Amendment which he said had strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.

A day of pitched battles between security forces and PTI protesters across the federal capital ended in a hasty retreat of the party’s top leadership and supporters from the Red Zone in the early hours of Nov 27. At least six lives were lost in the three days of protests, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who were knocked down by a speeding vehicle, officials and hospital sources said. The PTI claimed the death toll of its supporters at 13.

The party also alleged that law enforcement agencies used live ammunition to shoot at the protesters while the government maintained that no live ammunition was used. However, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said during a speech in the Senate on Dec 11 that according to a briefing given to the government, the security forces did resort to aerial firing.

HOW IT STARTED

A post from a PTI supporter shared an image on X on Dec 5 with the following caption: “Effects of boycott. The army put all blame for the firing on the government.”

The user was referring to a call from some of the party’s supporters to boycott goods from military-owned businesses. The graphic itself used the logos and visuals of digital media platform Siasat.pk.

The alleged statement attributed to the army chief in the graphic said: “The prime minister has the power to authorise fire. We are constitutionally bound to obey orders.”

The post gained 213,800 views and 7,100 reshares.

The same user reposted the image on Dec 07 with a different caption: “Forgot the order of God and obeyed the prime minister?”

The post gained 33,700 views and 1,500 reshares.

The same post was widely shared on X by several users supportive of the PTI as can be seen here, here, here, here and here, claiming that the alleged statement amounted to an admission from the military about opening fire on protesters.

The same post was also shared by PTI supporters and in PTI groups on Facebook as can be seen here, here and here.

Even Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur seemingly referred to the alleged statement while talking to the media on Dec 7 in Dera Ismail Khan.

He accused the federal government of using the army to open fire at PTI supporters and alleged that the federal government had “illegally” enforced Article 245 during the party’s protest.

At the 56-second mark of the video, he said: “Now the prime minister is thanking the chief of army staff. [On the other hand], he (the army chief) is saying: ‘What did we do? We are bound by the Constitution to their order. We were ordered from the prime minister and the government and that is why we opened fire.’”

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to verify the claim due to its virality, the public’s keen interest in affairs related to the PTI, particularly the violence and fallout of November’s protest which has seen a contentious constant exchange of allegations between the government and the PTI over the actual count of alleged deaths in the incident as well as the alleged use of force by state authorities, as well as because of the serious nature of the supposed statement attributed to the army chief.

Analysing past images of the digital media platform on quote shares showed that it used two different design templates.

Below are some examples of the design template that the viral image resembled.

However, comparing the viral graphic and an original graphic by the digital media platform showed several differences. Firstly, only the army chief’s title was written in white font in the green-coloured box in the viral post whereas the original design featured the name of the individual, whose quote was being shared, in a blue-coloured box.

A second difference was that the quotation mark was placed at the top right-hand corner of the media platform’s design template whereas the viral post had it smack dab in the top centre.

Furthermore, the original design also displayed a subtle transparent logo of Siasat.pk in the background of the statement or quote whereas it trailed off incomplete in the viral image.

Additionally, a keyword search for any credible news report reporting on the army chief’s alleged statement yielded no results, not even any articles or reports based on anonymous or insider sources.

However, the keyword search did yield the digital media platform’s own Dec 5 X post rubbishing the social graphic as a fake.

“This fake image misusing our logo is circulating on social media. Always verify content through our official X handle before sharing. All our official images include a source link for reference,” the digital media platform wrote.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding a visual of a digital media platform with an alleged statement attributed to the army chief regarding the violence and events on Nov 26 is false.

The viral graphic was shown to be a certifiable manipulated fake and no credible record or evidence was found for the statement ever being made by the military chief.