Viral video does not show Punjabi people looting property of Afghan refugees but Eid shopping in March

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to find the original source.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms since April 6, 2025, shared a 50-second video, claiming to show Punjabi people looting the belongings of Afghans left behind amid the government’s deportation drive. However, the video dates back to March 2025 and shows Eid shopping commotion.

Since April 6, over 1,600 Afghan nationals were deported from Punjab and Sindh, with more than 5,000 others held at transit camps for processing before repatriation. Most deportees carried Afghan Citizen Cards, while some had no legal documentation.

According to officials, around 100,000 Afghans were identified as illegal residents across Punjab. Only undocumented individuals or those not protected under UNHCR mandates were being repatriated. Afghan residents with valid documents or refugee status were not being deported.

HOW IT STARTED

On April 6, a 50-second video was shared on X by a user who, according to his bio, is a journalist. The video shows a large number of people gathering and moving from one spot to another, collecting clothes. It was shared with the claim that Punjabi people were looting the belongings of Afghans.

The caption read: “In Punjab, the Pakistani government is forcibly deporting Afghans on one hand, while on the other, the Punjabi public is looting the Afghans’ belongings, considering them spoils of war, which cannot be condemned enough.”

The post was viewed by more than 197,000 people.

A similar post featuring the same video and caption was shared by another X user and received more than 208,000 views.

Several other users on X also circulated the same video with similar claims as can be seen here, here, and here.

The video also made rounds on other social media platforms. The same video with the same claim was posted on TikTok here. On Facebook, similar claims were shared here and here, while an Instagram post featuring the video is visible here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the deportation of Afghan refugees.

A reverse image search led to a TikTok video posted by a user named Shafiq Ahmed on March 21, 2025. The original 50-second video displayed the name “Star Collection”, along with the date “21-3-25”. However, both the name and the date were cropped out in the version that went viral, indicating the video had been altered.

Further investigation of the account revealed an April 7 clarification video. In it, he re-uploaded the original clip and added a voice-over rejecting the false claims.

The transcription is provided below:

“The video that is going viral on TikTok and also circulating on Facebook, with the claim that Punjabis are looting Afghan belongings, is completely false. This shop is located in Azam Market, Lahore. The shop’s full name is Yahya Zikriya Sajjad Fashion Art and the star collection’s items are delivered here regularly. During Eid, the crowd was larger, but usually it’s the same.”

He said it was wrong to take someone’s video and edit it while adding false messaging.

The account had shared similar videos between March 20 and March 27, showing customers grabbing clothes during a sale, which seems like a regular occurrence at the shop.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim about a viral video showing Punjabi people looting the property of Afghan refugees being deported is false.

The video is from March 2025, shows a frenzy over Eid shopping and has no link to the deportation drive.