On 09 May 2025, Mir Yar Baloch, a self-proclaimed Baloch separatist spokesperson, writer, journalist, and human rights activist, posted on X claiming that Balochistan, the largest province in Pakistan, is separating from the country to become an independent nation. He appealed to the United Nations, India, and other countries to recognise Balochistan’s independence, stating that the current Pakistani government in the region would collapse and be replaced by a new government of independent Balochistan. However, no official statement has been made by either India or the United Nations acknowledging Balochistan as an independent country.
Amid these developments, a video (here and here) is going viral showing a large rally featuring a marching band and people dressed in traditional Muslim attire, holding Indian flags, pictures of Prime Minister Modi, and playing the Indian national anthem. It is claimed that this video shows celebrations in Balochistan. Let’s uncover the truth behind it.
Claim: The viral video shows Baloch people in Balochistan hoisting the Indian national flag and playing the Indian national anthem.
Fact: The video actually shows visuals of the Tiranga Yatra held in Surat, Gujarat, on 14 May 2025, organised in solidarity with Indian soldiers following the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan. It has no connection to Balochistan in Pakistan. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
To verify the truth, we closely examined the video and noticed that the name boards of nearby shops were written in Gujarati. Additionally, the drums used by the band had “SAIFEE SCOUT SURAT” written on them, indicating that the video is likely from Gujarat.
To find the origin of the video, we performed a reverse image search using keyframes from the footage. This led us to a YouTube video (archived link) uploaded by a user named BhaveshSays2.0 on 17 May 2025, featuring the same visuals. According to the video’s description, it shows Bohra Muslims participating in a Tiranga Yatra in Surat, Gujarat. Several social media users (here, here, and here) also shared the same video, identifying it as visuals from a Tiranga Yatra held in Surat.
Moreover, a Google keyword search confirmed that a Tiranga Yatra was held in Surat, Gujarat, on 14 May 2025. The rally, which took place from Bhagal Crossroads to Chowk Bazaar Fort, was organised to show solidarity with the successful ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan (here, here and here). Significantly, BJP Gujarat President and Union Minister for Jal Shakti, C.R. Patil, also took part in the event (here and here).
We also geolocated the area seen in the viral video using Google Maps and identified it as the Bhagal area in Surat, Gujarat. This confirms that the video is related to the Tiranga Yatra held in Surat on 14 May 2025.
To sum up, a video of a celebration in Surat, Gujarat, for Operation Sindoor is falsely shared as from Balochistan.
