Tag: Panjshir Valley

  • Arnab Goswami’s lie about Pak army backfires, becomes Twitter meme

    Arnab Goswami’s lie about Pak army backfires, becomes Twitter meme

    Indian journalist Arnab Goswami was once again caught spreading fake news about Pakistan but was called out for it by his Pakistani guest. Goswami lied about the presence of the Pakistan Army officers in Kabul Serena to fight in Panjshir Valley.

    Goswami claimed that the Pakistan Army officers were staying on the fifth floor of the Serena Hotel in Kabul but did not know that Kabul Serena only has two floors above ground level.

    In his programme ‘The Debate’ on Republic World TV last week, Goswami had invited an Indian analyst as well as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Abdul Samad Yaqoob, to represent Pakistan, in a discussion on what the channel termed a “big split” within the Taliban.

    Goswami addressed Yaqoob and said: “You go and check today … on the fifth floor of the Serena Hotel, I am telling you, please check, the fifth floor of the Serena Hotel in Kabul, how many Pakistani army officers are there?”

    “I am giving you. [Do] you want more details? I’ll tell you which room, or is this enough? [On the] fifth floor of the Serena Hotel, Kabul, how many Pakistani officers are there. Okay? I can also tell you what they ordered for dinner, so don’t question my intelligence sources.”

    Yaqoob countered Goswami’s claims and said, “What I got to know from my sources [is that] Serena has only two floors. There are no third, fourth or fifth floors.”

    The Indian anchor had no logical answer and sought to draw attention away from his faux pas. 

    Netizens from around the world called out Goswami for making false claims, making him a Twitter meme once again.

    A Twitter user from India wrote, “Dear #ArnabGoswami this is Sarena hotel Kabul I am still unable to find out [the] fifth floor?”

    https://twitter.com/Dilsedesh/status/1439528467465322498

    Indian journalist, Kanishka Raj Singh tweeted, “Finding information on the fifth floor of a building that has only two floors requires great journalism and brilliant sourcing.”

    Journalist Om Thanvi tweeted, “According-to-sources journalism and its own laughter!”

    Chinese journalist Shen Shiwei too exposed Goswami’s claims by sharing images of the hotel.

    One user rotated a picture of the hotel and mused that Goswami was perhaps counting its floors vertically.

    PTI spokesperson too tweeted a picture with “Arnab’s Intelligence Source” as its caption.

  • ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, Shaan calls out ex-Indian army officer for spreading fake news

    ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, Shaan calls out ex-Indian army officer for spreading fake news

    Pakistani actor Shaan Shahid reacted to a viral picture from his movie ‘Yalghaar’ after an ex-Indian army officer tweeted a photo of Pakistani actors, falsely claiming that they were Pakistani soldiers who had been martyred in Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan. Apart from Shaan, others actors in the picture include Umair Jaswal and Bilal Ashraf.

    Shaan responded to the tweet by sharing his movie poster and said, “Hello from the other side. Pakistan Zindabaad!”

    Umair Jaswal also made fun of the picture. He tweeted, “Hello dear! From Pakistan.”

    The confusion started after a former Indian army officer, Maj Gen GD Bakshi, claimed on Twitter that the Pakistan Army had suffered heavy casualties in Panjshir Valley.

    A Twitter user mocked Bakshi by sharing a picture from the set of Pakistani movie ‘Yalghaar’ and wrote: “My class fellow from school days Maj Aijaj 2nd from left and Capt Jufar 1st from left embraced martyrdom in Panjshir. They were buried yesterday in Peshawar. ISPR is trying to hide these casualties. They fought bravely and should be honoured as such. This is injustice by Pak Army.”

    Following the false claim, an Indian general Lt Gen H S Panag(R) criticised his own general.

    Earlier, an Afghan journalist mistook Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Aamir Liaquat as a martyred soldier in Afghanistan.

    Indian news channels, Republic TV, and Zee Hindustan ran visuals from a video game — Arma-3 — stating that it was the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) attacking the anti-Taliban fighters.

    Then a Twitter user shared a picture of a fighter jet, claiming that a PAF plane was shot down in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley. Later, a fact-check by Dawn showed that the picture is actually from 2018 in the United States.

    Bakshi, who has had a long career in the Indian army, is known for spreading fake news. An article by Indian publication The Print last year referred to him as the “shrillest warmonger in the media”, as per Dawn.

  • Afghan journalist confuses Aamir Liaquat as dead Pak Army soldier in Panjshir

    Afghan journalist confuses Aamir Liaquat as dead Pak Army soldier in Panjshir

    An Afghan journalist, Noor Quraishi, claimed that Pakistani commando Colonel Adil was killed in Panjshir Valley and shared a picture of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Aamir Liaquat.

    He shared the picture on his Twitter account, claiming that he [Amir Liaqat] was killed in the clashes with anti-Taliban forces. His tweet translated to, “The first casualty of Pakistani commandos: Colonel Adil died during the fighting in Panjshir.”

    Shortly after the tweet, netizens started mocking the journalist for a faux pas.

    Fake and misleading news regarding Pakistan’s involvement in Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has been making rounds on social media.

    Earlier, a Twitter user had shared a picture of a fighter jet, claiming that a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) plane was shot down in Afghanistan’s Panjshir valley. Later, a fact check by Dawn showed that the picture is actually from 2018 in the United States.

    Apart from this, Indian News Channels, Republic TV and Zee Hindustan, ran footage from a video game Arma-3 as visuals stating that it was the PAF attacking the anti-Taliban fighters.

  • Taliban have taken control of Panjshir: Sources

    Taliban have taken control of Panjshir: Sources

    Taliban forces have taken full control of Afghanistan, including the Panjshir Valley, three Taliban sources said on Friday, reported Dawn.

    “By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are in control of entire Afghanistan. The troublemakers have been defeated and Panjshir is now under our command,” said one Taliban commander.

    Former vice president Amrullah Saleh, one of the leaders of the opposition forces, told Tolo News that reports he had fled the country were lies.

    Meanwhile, the Taliban are due to form a government within days despite fighting in Panjshir Valley.

    China confirmed the country will be keeping its embassy in Kabul open.

    “We hope the Taliban will establish an open and inclusive political structure, pursue moderate and stable domestic and foreign policy and make a clean break with all terrorist groups,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

  • Taliban fighters head to capture Ahmad Shah Massoud’s Panjshir Valley: Reports

    Taliban fighters head to capture Ahmad Shah Massoud’s Panjshir Valley: Reports

    Taliban claimed that hundreds of their fighters are heading to the Panjshir Valley, reported Al Jazeera. Panjshir Valley is known as the area of Ahmed Shah Massoud’s Northern Alliance and is one of the few parts of the country not yet controlled by the newly-emerged Taliban setup. However, there has been much resistance going on between the groups since the Taliban’s takeover.

    Speaking to Al Jazeera, Taliban leader Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, said, “If we can defeat superpowers, surely we can provide safety to the Afghan people.” He is also a veteran of the Afghan-Soviet war.

    However, Ahmad Massoud, son of the slain hero of the anti-Soviet resistance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, told Reuters by telephone: “We want to make the Taliban realise that the only way forward is through negotiation but his supporters are ready to fight if Taliban forces try to invade the valley.”

    Earlier, Massoud was given four hours to give up Panjshir Valley, where Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh is in hiding, as per reports.

    Unconfirmed reports say the Taliban have reached the valley.