Viral visual of Indian High Commission official attending JAAC rally in London is doctored -

Several X users, including pro-military accounts and journalists, have been sharing an image since August 3, 2026, claiming it shows an official of the Indian High Commission in London attending a rally organised by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and that it was evidence of the Indian backing of the unrest that has gripped Azad Jammu and Kashmir for the past several months. However, the image is doctored.

Clashes and riots have brought life to a standstill in AJK since June 2026, with confrontations between protesters and law enforcement personnel taking place in Rawalakot and Mirpur in the week beginning July 27, reportedly resulting in several casualties. On August 3, AJK Information Secretary Muhammad Rashid Hanif said that seven law enforcement personnel, including those of police and Rangers, were martyred during recent unrest in the region, while international outlets have put the alleged toll of protester deaths at above 30.

The federal and AJK governments allege Indian funding and support behind the protesters.

HOW IT STARTED

On August 3, an X account that appears to be pro-military based on its past posts, shared an image with the following caption in Urdu: “We have been saying since day one that behind the Indian Action Committee is India’s Hindutva Modi government. The participation of the Indian High Commission in the Indian Action Committee’s rally in London has proven it true.”

The post accumulated approximately 20,000 views.

Tayyab Baloch, ex-president of the Press Association of the Supreme Court and a broadcast journalist, also shared the image on X with the caption: “The mask has slipped. An Indian High Commission official in London, Shri Ram Prakash, was reportedly seen participating in a demonstration organised by the banned JAAC (Awami Action Committee).”

Another pro-state account posted the same image on X on August 4. “Indian High Commission official Shri Ram Prakash, based in London, was seen formally participating in a protest organised by the banned JAAC,” the caption reads.

The post accumulated approximately 45,000 views.

DND Pakistan, which describes itself as a digital channel, also shared the visual in a news report with the headline: “Indian-JAAC nexus exposed as Indian High Commission official in UK Ram Prakash attended JAAC protest.”

The image with the same claim was shared by several other users on X and Instagram, as seen here, here, here, and here; collectively accumulating more than 3,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the evolving situation in AJK.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any credible Indian, British or international media outlets had reported on the Indian High Commission official participating in a JAAC protest; however, it did not yield any results.

An advanced keyword search on X traced the viral visual to a post shared on August 2, 2026, by Murtaza Ali Shah, UK correspondent for Geo News and The News, showing British Kashmiris marching in Luton, United Kingdom, to express concern over the ongoing situation in AJK.

A comparison of the original video with the viral image confirmed identical visuals. However, in the viral image, the face of one of the participants had been digitally altered and replaced with that of Shri Ram Prakash, an official at the Indian High Commission in London, suggesting that he had participated in a demonstration organised by the JAAC.

A frame-by-frame analysis of the video shows a participant in the rally wearing the same outfit as Prakash in the viral image. He appears in the clip at the 1:24-minute mark, walking in the same direction as the Indian official in the viral image.

The only noticeable alteration in the visuals is the digitally manipulated face, which has been replaced with that of Prakash, while the rest of the details remain the same.