Media outlets publish old video as recent BLA attack on Pakistan Army convoy
The Verdict [Misleading]
The viral video shows a January 2025 bus explosion in Turbat, Balochistan, reportedly claimed by the BLA, not a convoy attack in Noshki.
What is the claim?
A video resembling CCTV footage of a vehicle exploding in the middle of a road is being shared online with the claim that it shows the explosion that killed 90 Pakistani soldiers in Noshki (also spelled Nushki), in Balochistan province, Pakistan.
An X user shared the viral clip with a caption in Hindi, which translates to: “The Balochistan Liberation Army has become so powerful that it is inflicting major blows on the Pakistani military almost every day. Today, it bombed a bus carrying Pakistani soldiers, sending 90 Pakistani soldiers to meet their ‘hoors’ (beautiful women in paradise).” Archived versions of similar posts can be found here and here.
Indian media outlets, including Zee News, Republic Bharat, Times Now, and Dainik Jagran, also published the viral video, claiming it shows the attack on Pakistani soldiers.
Screenshot of the social media posts circulating online. (Source: X/media outlets/ Modified by Logically Facts)
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on March 16, 2025, released a video showing an attack on a Pakistani military convoy on a highway in Noshki, Balochistan. While the BLA claimed 90 soldiers were killed, Pakistani authorities reported that only five people died. The attack came just days after the BLA hijacked a passenger train on March 11, 2025, in an incident that reportedly killed more than 20 passengers.
However, the viral video in question is not from this convoy attack. It dates back to January 2025 and shows a bus explosion in Turbat, also in Balochistan province, for which the BLA had reportedly claimed responsibility.
What did we find?
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video revealed that it dates back to January 2025. We found the same footage shared by PM News, a media outlet based in Lakki Marwat in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Facebook on January 5, 2025 (archived here). The caption in Urdu translates to: “Balochistan: Explosion near pilgrims' bus in Turbat, 4 killed, 32 injured. Security sources.”
Khyber News, a Pakistani news channel, also shared screenshots matching the visuals in the viral video in its Jan. 4, 2025, report. Khyber News stated that the footage is CCTV footage of a bus explosion in Turbat on Jan. 4, 2025, which killed five people and injured more than 30. Geo TV also published visuals of the explosion in its coverage of the incident.
A comparison of the viral video and the screenshot published by Geo TV on the January 2025 blast. (Source: X/Geo TV/Screenshot)
According to a report by Dawn, the bus exploded en route from Karachi to Turbat in the New Bahman area. Quetta Senior Superintendent of Police Serious Crime Wing, Zuhaib Muhsin, and his family, who were passing by when the explosion occurred, were among those injured. The report added that the Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack.
Other media outlets, including Samaa TV and The Express Tribune, also reported on the bus explosion. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack and offered their condolences.
The verdict
A video from January 2025 showing a bus explosion in Turbat, Balochistan, was misrepresented as footage of an attack by the Balochistan Liberation Army on a Pakistani military convoy in Noshki.
(This story was originally published by logicallyfacts.com, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
