CLAIM
A video of Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has gone viral on social media. A Facebook user has shared with the caption, “सामने पाकिस्तान का झंडा लहराया जा रहा हैं और मंच पर गहलोत हरा झंडा फ़हरा रहें हैं (Pakistan’s flag is waved in the front and Gehlot is waving a green flag on the stage -translated). This post has been shared more than 1,600 times and viewed over 17,000 times already.
Mahesh Vikram Hegde, the founder of fake news website Postcard News also tweeted the same video.
Several social media users have shared this video with the identical narrative. Another post by Anil Sharma claims that Pakistan’s national flag can be seen on the dais where Gehlot is present. It is based on a screen grab of Ashok Gehlot with a highlighted green flag in the background. This Facebook post has been shared close to 2900 times.
TRUE OR FALSE?
If you look closely, both the claims are based on the flag which is NOT the Pakistani national flag. In the images – the green flag with a crescent moon – is a generic flag. It is used as a religious symbol by the Muslim community in the subcontinent. In the comparison given below, Pakistan’s national flag with a white patch on the left side can be seen.
The pictures depicted in the above Facebook posts are representative of this religious banner and NOT Pakistan’s national flag.
SIMILAR CLAIM
Drramgopal Varshney, a Facebook user, also posted a claim that the Pakistani flag was waved at a Congress rally. It has been shared more than 1,400 times.
In the past as well, this green coloured flag has been falsely represented as Pakistan’s national flag on social media to further a political agenda.
(Published in an arrangement with Alt News)
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