Muslims in PoK are not burning Pakistani flags — it’s a 3-year-old clip from Uttar Pradesh

The clip was first shared by journalist Nisar Mehdi and is from the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom in Uttar Pradesh's Deoband.

Screengrab from the viral video | Twitter

New Delhi: A video that has been doing the rounds on social media claims that Muslims in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are agitating to join the Indian union. The clip shows members of the “Muslim community” burning the Pakistani flag and shouting “Hindustan zindabad” slogans.

It has been shared over 1,800 times and has nearly 3,400 likes on Twitter. The video has also been shared on Facebook and WhatsApp.

“Thousands of Muslim community rallied in PoK and expressed their desire to meet in India, they shouted the slogans of “Saare Jahan Se Achch Hindustan Hamara”, burning the Pakistani flag, Hindustan Zindabad, Pakistan, Murdabad, but some people in India sing the praises of Pakistan. Do not get tired (sic),” reads a post by Yato Dharma, Tato Jaya – a Twitter account that claims to be a “NaMo fan, parody, commentary account not affiliated with any political party”.

But the video isn’t from PoK at all.

Fact check

This video is nearly three years old. It was first shared by The Washington Post’s Karachi correspondent Nisar Mehdi and is from the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoband.

“Mullah’s Of Darul Uloom Deoband India burns Pakistani flag & chanting anti-Pakistan’s slogans,” wrote Mehdi in a post from 29 September, 2016.

The clip comes in the backdrop of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A that revoke special powers for Jammu and Kashmir and the division of the state into two union territories. International media has been reporting instances of gunfire violence in the Valley, though the Modi government has denied any such protests.

In collaboration with SMHoaxslayer.