Old travel vlog misrepresented as Chinese, Pakistani soldiers 'celebrating victory' over India
The 55-second video appears to be shot from the window of a moving vehicle and shows soldiers with guns dancing in a circle.
The video spread in other Malay-language posts on Facebook and TikTok, as well as in Pakistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The posts surfaced after a May 10 ceasefire ended four days of intense fighting between India and Pakistan that killed 70 people on both sides (archived link).
The latest conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals was triggered by an April attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denies the charge.
Pakistan's military has claimed it downed five Indian warplanes on the first day of fighting -- including three French-made Rafale fighter jets -- though New Delhi has not confirmed any losses (archived link).
However, the video was first shared online in 2018 -- predating the latest India-Pakistan conflict.
A keyword search on YouTube led to a shorter version of the clip posted by the account Travel with Qasim on November 15, 2018 with the title: "Pakistani and Chinese Border Guard Troops dancing at Khunjerab Pass Pakistan-China Border Gate" (archived link).
An advanced keyword search on Google found a longer YouTube video posted by Jojo Aigner on October 26, 2018 with the title: "Pakistani And Chinese Soldiers Dancing Together" (archived link).
The circulating clip corresponds to the YouTube video's 8:45 mark. A sign reading "long live China-Pakistan friendship" is taped to the window of a vehicle in the background.
"I am trying to Hitchhike Around The Globe," the caption on Aigner's video says. "From Turkey I will travel East over Iran, Pakistan and China to South-East-Asia from where I will try to hitch a ship over the Pacific."
AFP geolocated the clip to Khunjerab Pass, which connects Pakistan and China (archived link).
AFP contacted Aigner for comment, but a response was not forthcoming.
AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from the conflict between India and Pakistan here.
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