Did Pakistan descend into civil war? Have the Sindhis rebelled against Islamabad? Were there pitched battles in the streets of Karachi?
If you followed some prominent identifiers on social media as well as major Indian media outlets, you will be forgiven for thinking that this was actually the case.
Pak Army takes over all the police stations in Karachi.
Now the US Carrier Battle Group is stationed just off the coast of Karachi, so anything can happen in the next 24 hours.
– Prashant Patel Umrao (@ippatel) October 21, 2020
#ImranUnderSeige – Civil war breaks out in Pakistan.
Clashes between the Sindh police and the Pakistani army.
The chorus grows for the expulsion of Imran Khan.
Massive explosion in Karachi kills 5@ Arunima24 reports from New Delhi.
Join @AnchorAnandN in #TheRightStand pic.twitter.com/aMDXNwX5yq
– CNNNews18 (@ CNNnews18) October 21, 2020
3 killed and 15 injured in the Karachi explosion as a ‘civil war’ -like situation arises in Pakistan https://t.co/J0851qpyM4#karachiblast #Karachi
– Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) October 21, 2020
Pak army seizes control of Karachi police stations when clashes erupt between police and army in Sindh following a bomb attack that kills five people. @ImranKhanPTI #karachiblast
– Minhaz Merchant (@MinhazMerchant) October 21, 2020
Fake news
Of course, there was nothing of the kind. Here’s Micheal Kugalman, a South Asian expert from the Wilson Center in the United States clearing the air.
Accounts of disinformation from India are exploiting Pakistan’s current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability. Dangerous and disturbing; several of these accounts are verified, with a large number of followers. Ugh.
– Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) October 21, 2020
The fake news was based on an incident in Pakistan where the son-in-law of opposition leader and former prime minister Nawax Sharif was arrested in Karachi on Monday, allegedly at the behest of the Pakistani military. In protest, many senior Sindh police officials had withdrawn.
Reacting with humor
Soon, however, Pakistani accounts began to scoff at the fake news that Karachi had turned into a war zone when a civil war between federal and Sindhi forces rocked the city. Much of this took the form of prompting a highly exaggerated fictional account of the “civil war.”
LATEST NEWS: COME VISUALS FROM KARACHI SHOWING CITIZENS HAVE ALREADY JOINED THE CIVIL WAR AND ARE FIGHTING THE PAK AIR FORCE pic.twitter.com/pOV3MMXDg6
– Ghaura (@ghauraghaura) October 21, 2020
BREAKING NEWS!
THIS COURAGEOUS KARACHI CITIZEN FROM GULSHAN-E-BAGH JUST STOPPED A PAF PLANE FROM LANDING ITSELF! THE CITIZENS REMAIN AGAINST THE ARMY!# CivilWarinPakistan pic.twitter.com/pKu6xYoWUU– Haris Khan (@ haris1khan) October 21, 2020
Breaking News: After the civil war in Karachi, Godzilla attacks Lahore.
Source: Indian news channels. pic.twitter.com/UY5xqGsIrB
– Nadeem Farooq Paracha (@NadeemfParacha) October 21, 2020
Live from Gulistan-e-Bagh Karachi. A plainclothes policeman during the great #CivilWarInPakistan (Second World War). pic.twitter.com/zwsqkyIciu
– Ray (@iKarachiwala) October 21, 2020
Location: Clifton Beach, Karachi#CivilWarInPakistan pic.twitter.com/sUxM3wcze1
– Farzan Tufail (@ Farzantufail786) October 21, 2020
OH MY GOD!
I went out to Karachi and witnessed the civil war.
This is the Karachi airport: pic.twitter.com/sFCyBvKYI4
– Shehzad Ghias Shaikh (@ Shehzad89) October 21, 2020
The port of Karachi this morning #CivilWarInPakistan #Civil war pic.twitter.com/hJNBtlkLNU
– IA (@Talentless___) October 21, 2020
Police stations have been invaded in Karachi. There is a total media blackout and people have risked their lives to take these pictures# CivilWarinPakistan pic.twitter.com/PVcVoMIbCO
– Hasan Saeed (@ hasansaeed6) October 21, 2020
Sindh Police Inspector John Bhutto seen near Clifton, karachi#Civil war#CivilWarInPakistan pic.twitter.com/3sBYoz0gUG
– Junaid Badar (@ JunaidBadar10) October 21, 2020
According to Indian Media, Scene from #CivilWarInPakistan
Everyone please pray for Karachi 😁#Civil war
pic.twitter.com/LNp0Vn8ejp– Elif Ahmet 🇹🇷 (@ElifAhmetTurkey) October 22, 2020
#Break
Indian Media: Sindh Police just shot down a Pakistan Air Force JF-17 thunder in a dogfight near Karachi using the world’s most advanced aircraft called the “Madni Tiara”.#CivilWarInPakistan #CivilWarInKarachi pic.twitter.com/lSdAZCjr3C– Mughees Hassan (@Mughees_Speaks) October 22, 2020
Karachi’s civil war has gotten so bad that my food panda delivery man had to crawl through the minefields with his AK47, RPG and 9mm along with my nihari and Biryani. This is getting so serious. Several cows have died and people die from overeating. #IndianMedia 😂
– Fakhr-e-Alam (@ falamb3) October 21, 2020
Karachi in Karachi irl:@ CNNnews18: pic.twitter.com/qlgeJ9NSi8
– fusion dealer (@fay_alif) October 21, 2020
Some unofficial scenes from Karachi that the Pakistani media will not show you.
Karachi has turned into a mess after the fight between Pak Army and Sindh Police 😭 pic.twitter.com/ba0wl7w4LZ
– Jogba (@NotYourPogba) October 21, 2020
Reason for Civil War in Pakistan
Biryani vs Pulao#CivilWarInPakistan #Karachicivil pic.twitter.com/nJHDH2Kl4u
– Komedi stan acc 😎 (@SherjeelX) October 21, 2020
BIG BREAK
HYDROGEN BOMB ATTACK ON DIFFERENT POLICE STATIONS IN KARACHI BY THE PAKISTAN ARMY, THERE ARE ALSO INCOMING REPORTS THAT PAF JF-17 HAS DOWNLOADED SINDH POLICE F-7P / G. PILOT EXPELLED.
BE SAFE ALL
– Wasif ♐♒ (@ Wasif2020_) October 20, 2020
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