As India and Pakistan celebrated their respective independence days, An old photo of Pakistan’s national flag being flown in Indian-administered Kashmir has resurfaced amid reports that mistakenly presented it as a recent photo. Kashmir has been divided between the arch-rivals since their independence from British rule in 1947, with both sides claiming it outright. Pakistani television channel Geo News even ran the image in a June 2019 report.
The photo was shared in a post on social media site X dated August 14, 2024, which has since been viewed more than 75,000 times.
The caption, referring to Indian Kashmir’s capital Srinagar, read: “#BREAKING: Pakistani flag hoisted by unidentified men in Srinagar, Indian occupied Kashmir.”
In the photo, a man with his face covered stands on a pillar, holding a string with the Pakistani flag attached to it.
India and Pakistan have two wars fought over the disputed Muslim-majority region (archived link).
The photo was shared with similar claims elsewhere on X and further Facebook.
The reports circulated as Pakistan and India celebrated their independence days on August 14 and 15 respectively.
However, a reverse Google search revealed that the photo is old. It was in a report aired by Pakistan’s Geo News on June 2, 2019 (archived link).
According to the report, the photo was taken during Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Destiny), a highlight of Ramadan, when Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Below is a screenshot of the mistakenly shared photo (left) and the photo in the Geo News report (right):
The location of the scene matches the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, as can be seen in the screenshot below, which compares the photo (left) with an AFP photo of the mosque (right):
The location can also be seen in a image shared on Google Maps (archived link).
Meanwhile, the Indian government refuted the false claim in a statement posted on X by the state-run PIB Fact Check account (archived link).
“An old image is circulating on social media showing the Pakistani flag being raised in Srinagar, Kashmir on August 15, 2024,” the report said.