Fact Check: Indian soldiers did not open fire at Pakistan soldiers at LoC after Pahalgam terror attack
In the worst terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in recent times, a group of terrorists opened fire on tourists in
Claim :
Viral video shows Indian soldiers firing at Pakistan soldiers at LoC, after Pahalgam terror attackFact :
The video is an old one, it has been online since May 2021
In the worst terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in recent times, a group of terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadows, killing 26 innocent people. The Resistance Front (TRF), a branch of Lashkar -e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the massacre. This front was formed after the abrogation of Article 370. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared the TRF a “terrorist organisation” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in January 2023. The government said it was engaged in propaganda on terror activities, recruitment of terrorists, infiltration of terrorists, and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir.
A combination of technical intelligence and credible information from intelligence sources, including critical eyewitnesses, has confirmed the identity of the Pahalgam killers and established the Pakistan link to the incident. The Indian Government has closed border crossings and further restricted already limited visas for Pakistani citizens. It also expelled military, naval, and air advisers from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. It also suspended the Indus Water Treaty, an important water-sharing pact between India and Pakistan that has been in force since 1960. Responding to this, Pakistan also suspended trade with India, closed its airspace to Indian flights, and expelled Indian diplomats. Pakistan troops also resorted to firing at various places along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Amidst all this, a video showing a few Indian soldiers firing at the enemy using small arms is going viral on social media. The video shows continuous firing from both sides and the soldiers in a war-like situation. A Telugu X user named Big TV shared the video with the caption in Telugu “LOC వెంబడి కాల్పులకు తెగబడిన
When translated, it claims “Pakistan opens fire along LoC, War atmosphere between India and Pakistan. Fire from Pakistani posts in all three areas. Indian Army gives a strong reply to the enemy army. Information is being received that four Pakistani soldiers have been killed.”
Here is the archive link of the Claim.
Fact check:
The claim is Misleading. The video is not from recent disturbances that occurred after the Pahalgam terror attack.
When we extracted keyframes from the video and searched using reverse image search, we found that the video was shared on several occasions on different platforms of social media. A X user shared the same video on July 29, 2024, with the caption “Recent incidents are more than Terrorist attacks and infiltration.”
A faccebook user named fouji_vlogs_raghu shared the same video on February 2, 2024 with the caption “LOC: 81mm mortar firing by indian army in Enemy position #viral #army #punjabi #kisaanandolan”
A YouTube user shared a longer video, which is a collage of different soldier videos along with the viral video. We can see the viral part from 0.26 minutes till the end of the video.
Another youtube user named Jay Wankhade shared the longer version of the viral video with the caption “LoC: 81mm Mortar firing by Indian Army on Enemy Positions”. The description of the video states that “retaliation to the Pakistani Army's ceasefire violation Indian Army uses locally made OFB 81mm mortar. In the other half of the video, you can also see covers for shells of 84mm Carl Gustaf Recoil Less (CGRL).”
Though we are unable to ascertain the date and place when the video was shot, we are able to confirm that the viral video is not a recent one. An old video from year 2021 is going viral, relating it to the recent events. The claim is misleading.
