Geo Fact Check looks into claims of PTI supporters deaths during Islamabad protest

Senior government ministers have denied any deaths of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters during the November 26 security forces raid in Islamabad. Public hospitals in the federal capital also claimed they received no bodies after the law enforcement operation. However, documentary evidence proves the claim is false.

Claim

In a press conference on November 28, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal denied that law enforcement used live ammunition or that any PTI protesters were killed.

“The [government’s] health department has issued two statements one from Poly Clinic Hospital and another from PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences) Hospital stating that they have not received any dead bodies,” Tarar claims while answering a question from Al Jazeera, “There was a fake list circulating on social media, they have even declared that list to be fake. No bodies have been received by these [hospitals].”Both the Federal Government Poly Clinic Hospital and the PIMS are two of the largest public hospitals in the federal capital.

Later Tarar repeated his claim in response to another question from the correspondent of BBC: “Both Polyclinic and PIMS have denied receiving any bodies or any with gunshot wounds. Also there was no live ammunition used. Let me confirm that.”

Tarar repeated the claim on November 30 asking for any proof of dead bodies.

Both hospitals have also reiterated this in their own statements on November 27, labelling reports of deaths “baseless” and denying they treated gunshot victims or received bodies.

In its statement, PIMS hospital asserted that 66 law enforcement personnel and 36 civilians were brought to PIMS emergency and majority of them were discharged after first aid treatment having minor injuries, while few of them are admitted for further treatment.

“News circulating on social media is baseless regarding the death toll/ nature of injuries of protestors,” it added.

Similarly, on the same day the Federal Government Poly Clinic also released a rebuttal. “FGPC administration denies news being circulated on social media regarding dead bodies in the hospitals due to gunshot wounds/bullet/grenade,” it stated, “Such unverified news pertaining to this hospital circulating on media may be considered as fake.”

Fact

Documentary evidence and testimonies from families of the victims show these claims by authorities are false.

One of the victims was 31-year-old Sadar Ali from Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His treatment slip as well as his death certificate issued by the PIMS Hospital have both been seen by Geo Fact Check.

Ali was admitted to the hospital at 8:17pm on November 26 and pronounced dead at 8:30pm, as per his death certificate, seen below. Both the treatment slip and the death certificate identify Ali’s injury to have been a result of a firearm.

His family identifies him as a supporter of PTI.

Another dead body, whose records Geo Fact Check obtained, is of 24-year-old Mobeen Aurengzeb from Abbottabad who was pronounced dead by the Federal Government Poly Clinic hospital at 5:12pm on November 26.

Aurengzeb’s cause of death has been listed as gunshot injury, as per the death certificate produced below. His family also identifies him as a PTI supporter.

The third victim is 20-year-old Anees Shahzad from Murree whose death certificate was also issued by the Federal Government Poly Clinic hospital on November 26. Shahzad was pronounced dead at 5pm. His injury has been identified as a result of gunshot. Shahzed was a PTI supporter, as per his family.

All three names appear on PTI’s list of 12 alleged fatalities. These names also align with burial details reported by local media outlets as well as pictures and videos of the burials shared by family members with Geo Fact Check. Separately, five casualties have also been confirmed by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on November 28, while talking to a local TV channel.

Sanaullah acknowledged the deaths of at least five PTI workers. “Officially, there’s confirmation of four or five deaths. Reports indicate funerals in at least three locations, with the possibility of two more,” he said during the show. Geo Fact Check also reached out to over a dozen doctors, nurses as well as the administration at both hospitals who either denied the deaths or refused to talk claiming pressure from government authorities.