Old photos of toppled phone towers falsely linked to protests in Pakistan-held Kashmir
A spokesman for Pakistan's Kashmir government said there were no reports of cell towers destroyed during protests that rocked the region in May 2024, contrary to Facebook and X posts that purported to show photos of the damaged structures. The images -- taken before the protests -- show phone towers attacked in 2022 and 2023.
"Kashmiris are tearing down mobile phone towers now," read a post on social media platform X that shared the photos on May 12, 2024.
"Kashmiris say that when we can't get internet service in this difficult time, we don't even need these poles of yours."
The photos show a collapsed phone tower and a charred structure with a hole in the roof.
Four people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir -- a semi-autonomous region with its own regional government -- after paramilitary troops clashed with protesters rallying against rising living costs.
The internet was largely shut down during the demonstrations, which ended on May 14 after organisers accepted a government offer for financial aid.
The Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan, which both claim it in full.
