Amid the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, a video has surfaced online that allegedly shows Pakistani citizens lining up outside ATMs to withdraw cash due to fears of economic instability triggered by the conflict. The video shows long queues in front of a building labelled “Bank of Pakistan”. Many social media users claim it reflects widespread panic in Pakistan as war looms.
The video is shared on Facebook with a caption: ഭാരതവുമായുള്ള യുദ്ധത്തിൽ തങ്ങളുടെ ബാങ്കുകൾ തകരുന്നതിന് മുമ്പ്, പരിഭ്രാന്തരായ പാകിസ്ഥാനികൾ തങ്ങളുടെ പണം പിൻവലിക്കാൻ ബാങ്കുകളിൽ മുന്നിൽ ക്യൂ നിൽക്കുന്ന ദൃശ്യം തീവ്രവാദികൾ വിചാരിച്ചു കോൺഗ്രസ് ആണ് ഭരിക്കുന്നത് എന്ന്. മോഡി ഭരിക്കുമ്പോൾ ഈ രാജ്യത്തെ ചൊറിയാൻ വന്നാൽ അത് ഏതു ഇസ്ലാമിന്റെ പന്നികൾ ആയാലും പണി തന്നിരിക്കും (English version: Terrorists have been led to believe that Congress is in power by the sight of panicked Pakistanis queuing up at banks to withdraw their money before their banks collapsed in the war with India. If any Islamic pig came to attack this country while Modi was in power, it would have done a disservice to them.)
Here’s the link to the above post. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim and found it to be MISLEADING.
Upon verifying the origin of the footage using Reverse Image Search, it reveals that the clip is not from Pakistan. The same visuals had been uploaded to YouTube on August 31, 2021, claiming to show people from Kabul in Afghanistan lining up to withdraw cash from banks. This occurred after the Taliban seized power, and following the withdrawal of US troops, Afghanistan’s banking system faced a temporary shutdown.
Multiple news outlets reported on the situation at the time, describing how the sudden political upheaval led to economic uncertainty. When the banks reopened after a month-long closure, limited withdrawal policies created significant rush and panic among the public, resulting in long lines at ATMs — similar to the ones seen in the viral video.
Thus, we can conclusively say that the viral video claiming to depict panic withdrawals in Pakistan due to escalating conflict with India is Misleading.
