As the conflict between India and Pakistan escalated rapidly on May 8, a 37-second-long clip went viral on social media, claiming to show the situation in Pakistan after the Indian armed forces reportedly hit various strategic locations in the country. The clip depicts an open area with several parked cars, engulfed in flames and chaos, possibly caused by explosions. The video also has a voiceover imposed on it where a man could be heard announcing in Hindi/Urdu: “Take your kids and the elderly, lock your home and move towards the road ahead…”
Bengali news channel ABP Ananda played the above-mentioned video during their live broadcast. The viral clip appears at the 5:08 mark in the video attached below. While the clip is being played, the anchor can be heard saying, “Right now you are seeing visuals from Karachi, it has been completely destroyed…” Another anchor mentions that this shows the attack that INS Vikrant has carried out. (Archive)
The Bengali news outlet also used screengrabs from the same footage in their news report and their live news thread. The image carried in their news report was later replaced with a photo of INS Vikrant. (Archive 1, 2)
