A doctored image of a crowd looking at a big screen has been falsely shared in social media posts that claim it shows people in Indian-administered Kashmir risking the ire of nationalists by intently watching Pakistan's skipper Babar Azam during the Asia Cup. There is widespread anti-India sentiment in the Muslim-majority territory, and police previously launched an investigation after students were filmed celebrating Pakistan beating India at the 2021 World Cup. But the image circulating on social media has been altered from a photo that in fact shows people watching a live broadcast of India's Moon landing on August 23.

“Lal Chowk, picturesque scenery of Kashmir. Everyone was watching King Babar Azam batting,” reads text on the altered image, which was shared by an Instagram account with more than 116,000 followers on August 30, 2023.

It was shared after Pakistan thrashed Nepal in the opening match of cricket's Asia Cup, with captain Babar Azam top-scoring with 151 runs.

Lal Chowk is a square in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, where an armed rebellion by Kashmiris in the Muslim-majority territory wanting independence or to be part of Pakistan has raged for decades (archived link).

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the disputed region, and when Pakistan beat India at the 2021 World Cup footage emerged of hundreds of students in Srinagar celebrating and shouting "Love live Pakistan!"

Police launched an investigation into what they described as "anti-national...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiS2h0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy55YWhvby5jb20vZG9j...