A spokesman for Pakistan’s Kashmir government said there were no reports of cell towers destroyed during the protests that rocked the region in May 2024, contrary to Facebook and X posts purporting to show photos of the damaged structures. The images – taken before the protests – show telephone towers attacked in 2022 and 2023.
“Kashmiris are demolishing mobile phone towers now,” read one publish on social media platform X who shared the photos on May 12, 2024.
“Kashmiris say that when we can’t get internet service in this difficult time, we don’t even need those poles of yours.”
Photos show a collapsed telephone tower and a charred structure with a hole in the roof.
Four people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir – a semi-autonomous region with its own regional government – after paramilitary troops came into conflict with protesters demonstrating against the rising cost of living.
The Internet was largely shut down during the demonstrations, which ended on May 14 after organizers accepted a government offer of financial aid.
The Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan, who claim it in full.
The photos were shared widely on X here, here It is here and Facebook here, here It is here in posts linking them to the protests.
However, Abdul Majid Khan, finance minister and spokesman for Pakistan’s Kashmir government, told AFP on May 24 that there were no reports of cell towers destroyed during demonstrations in the region that month.
In reality, the photos show the consequences of insurgent attacks in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
Balochistan insurgency
A reverse image search on Google found a photo of a collapsed telephone tower in a article by Pakistan’s Daily Quetta Voice newspaper on June 4, 2022 (archived link).
According to the report, “unknown miscreants” planted an improvised explosive device that blew up the tower in Bolan district of Balochistan.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, is also home to several militant groups fighting for independence or a greater share of the region’s mineral resources (archived link).
Insurgents regularly attack infrastructure such as railways, power lines and telephone towers.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in fake posts (left) and the Daily Quetta Voice photo (right):
The newspaper attributed the photo to Yousaf Marri, who confirmed to AFP that he took it in the Barkhan district of Balochistan.
A reverse image search found a photo of a charred structure with a hole in the roof in a article about an attack on a different telephone tower in Balochistan (archived link).
Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) published the photo in an April 19, 2023 report on a series of attacks on cell phone towers in Balochistan’s Kech district.
The photo was credited to ANI.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in fake posts (left) and ANI’s photo (right):
The article also features a photo of Yousaf Marri, but does not include an image credit.
ANI reported that Baloch insurgents attacked towers belonging to Chinese telecommunications companies they suspected of spying on them.
Beijing has poured billions of dollars into Pakistan to boost the country’s infrastructure under its Belt and Road Initiative.
But the Chinese-funded projects have sparked resentment, especially among separatist groups, who say locals see few benefits, with most jobs going to outsiders.
AFP previously verified disinformation following the riots here It is here.
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