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| - Fact Check: This is NOT Pak Army torturing Imran Khan supporters, video is at least 5 years old
India Today, in its investigation, found that the video is more than five years old, and not related to the recent political developments in Pakistan.
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India Today Fact Check
This video is more than five years old. Over the years, it has been shared on the internet several times as a training session of the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group.
Following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his supporters launched protests across the country. Many of these protests turned violent and several people were killed. The Army reportedly arrested hundreds, including several leaders of Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
A video now making the rounds on social media allegedly shows the Pakistan Army torturing political prisoners. It shows a group of people beating bound and blindfolded young men inside a nondescript room.
One tweet containing the video claimed, “Videos of the PTI political prisons have started to appear in public,” and asked, “Where are the institutions for the protection of human rights?” Archived versions of such tweets can be seen here, here, and here.
India Today, in its investigation, found that the video is at least five years old, and has nothing to do with the recent political developments in Pakistan.
Our Investigation
Upon reverse searching the viral video's keyframes with relevant keywords, we found that the video has been present on the internet since as early as 2017. A longer version of the same video was shared on Facebook on December 26, 2017. According to this post, the video showed a training session of the Pakistani Army’s Special Service Group.
Over the years, the same video has been shared by several people on Facebook and YouTube. These posts also claim that the video shows the SSG training.
A closer inspection of the extended version of the viral video revealed the words "Special Service Group" written on the T-shirt of one of the men. The logo of Pakistan's Special Services Wing can also be seen on the T-shirt of another man in the video. The Special Service Group is a unit of the Pakistan Army, and the Special Services Wing is a special operations force of the Pakistan Air Force.
YouTube and Facebook are also full of several videos that allegedly document the rigorous and violent training process of the SSG. India Today, however, couldn't independently verify whether they — including the now-viral video — are in any way related to the SSG’s training. However, it is more than evident that this video has nothing to do with PTI members and supporters detained for protesting Imran Khan’s arrest.
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