On April 26, an Indian news channel aired a video claiming that citizens in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) were protesting against the Pakistan Army following the deadly April 22 attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
This claim is false.
The protest had no connection to the Pakistan Army or the recent Pakistan-India tensions.
The Claim
Hindi-language broadcaster India TV aired visuals alleging that civilians in Mirpur, the second-largest city in AJK, took to the streets to protest against the Pakistan Army after the Pahalgam attack.
A voice-over in the report claimed:
“If shelling starts at the Line of Control, no civilian will support the Pakistani Army. At this moment, the people are against the Pakistani military.”
These visuals were also shared on YouTube, where the video has over 603,000 views and more than 5,800 likes.
The Facts
The protest shown in the video actually occurred on April 16 — 10 days before India TV’s report and six days before the April 22 attack in Pahalgam.
Furthermore, the demonstration was not anti-army, but rather in support of freedom of the press, as confirmed by two journalists who participated in the protest.
Afzal Butt, President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and one of the protest organisers, told by phone that the demonstration was held outside the Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad, AJK. The protest was to demand the withdrawal of a police complaint filed against a local media outlet.
“After the FIR was suspended, we ended the sit-in and returned,” said Butt.
Sehrish Qureshi, another journalist who took part in the protest, confirmed the same. She also shared a video showing protesters holding banners in favour of press freedom, including one that read:
“Stop the economic murder of newspapers in Azad Kashmir.”
Even in the footage aired by India TV, protesters can be seen carrying this very banner — further debunking the claim that the protest was anti-military.
Conclusion
The claim is false.
India TV misrepresented a peaceful protest in support of press freedom in Azad Jammu and Kashmir as an anti-army demonstration.
Two journalists who participated in the protest confirmed it had no link to the Pakistan Army or the recent Pakistan-India tensions.
