Unrelated videos shared as visuals of floods in Pakistan caused by India’s release of water into Jhelum River after Pahalgam terrorist attack
Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April 2025, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled Pakistani military advisors, and recalled its own from Islamabad. Pakistani nationals with SAARC visas were ordered to leave within 48 hours, and Indian citizens were advised to return from Pakistan.
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, reports (here, here, & here) indicate that Pakistan has accused India of releasing excess water into the Jhelum River, causing sudden flooding. Several (here, here, & here) Pakistani media outlets reported a sudden surge in Jhelum water levels and have blamed India for it. India has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. In this context, multiple videos (here, here, here, here, and here) showing flooding are being widely circulated on social media, with claims that they depict floods in Pakistan caused by India’s release of water into the Jhelum River following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
Claim: Visuals shows flooding in Pakistan caused by India’s sudden release of water into the Jhelum River following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
Fact: These viral videos are unrelated to the current tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, as they were already available on the internet before the attack, which occurred on 22 April 2025. Pakistan has accused India of releasing excess water into the Jhelum River, causing sudden flooding. Several Pakistani media outlets have reported a sharp rise in the river’s water levels and have placed the blame on India. India has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Video-1:
To gather details about this viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the video. This search led us to the same video (archived link) shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the user ‘@sustainme_in’ on 17 April 2025. According to the video description, the viral video shows scenes of horrific flash floods that occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The post reads: ‘Today, another video surfaced showing a terrible flash flood that struck Thakot Bazar, located in Tehsil Allai, District Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, #Pakistan, after a lightning strike. The flood caused severe damage to shops and vehicles.’
Taking a cue from this, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This search led us to multiple news reports published by Pakistani media outlets on 16, 17 April 2025 (here, here, here, & here ) stating that heavy rains had caused flash flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Punjab, and other parts of Pakistan. While we could not independently verify the location or context of the video, the available information clearly indicates that the viral video clip is unrelated to the current tensions between India and Pakistan following the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, as it predates the incident.
Video-2:
To gather details about this viral video (here, here), we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the clip. This search led us to the same video (archived link), shared on Instagram by the user ‘anwrworld’ on 04 May 2024. According to the video description, it shows scenes of heavy rain and flooding in the Dubair Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. While we could not independently verify the location or context of the video, the available information clearly indicates that the clip is unrelated to the current tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, as it predates the incident.
To sum it up, unrelated videos are being shared as visuals of the Indian Government’s ‘Water Strike’ against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.