Fact-Check Debunks Claim of Pakistani Military’s Involvement in Social Media Post about Dhanmondi 32
Amid growing tensions over the announcement that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would deliver a speech from India, a wave of protests erupted on Wednesday (February 5). Agitated protesters staged a massive demonstration outside Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka, which escalated into acts of vandalism and arson.
Following these events, a screenshot of a post from a verified X account named ‘Defense Pakistan’ began circulating on social media. The post was claimed to be made by the Pakistan Army or the country’s Ministry of Defense.
The translated version of the English text in the post read, “The end of a traitor’s legacy—Mujibur Rahman’s house in Dhaka destroyed by Bangladeshi revolutionaries. Bangladeshi revolutionaries have demolished Mujibur Rahman’s house at Dhanmondi 32, where he conspired with India to break Pakistan. This has erased any remaining trace of Mujibur Rahman in Bangladesh.”
The report further stated, “The revolutionaries took this step after information was leaked about Sheikh Hasina’s plan to address Bangladeshis from Indian soil, which is being described as an attempt to destabilize the country and serve India’s interests.”
However, on Thursday (February 6), fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner published an investigative report clarifying that the X account in question does not belong to the Pakistan Army. Their findings indicate, “The circulated X account is not an official account of the Pakistan Army or the Pakistan Ministry of Defense. Instead, according to the profile information, it is a personal account operated by a defense analyst and journalist. In reality, the Pakistan Army or the Ministry of Defense has not made any statements regarding the vandalism at Dhanmondi 32.”
Rumor Scanner further elaborated that upon analyzing the posts, it was evident that the screenshot originated from a verified X account named ‘Defense Pakistan.’ However, the account’s bio clearly states that it is not an official platform but rather a personal profile managed by a defense analyst and journalist. The account regularly posts content related to defense, geopolitics, global conflicts, and Afghanistan.
Despite the verification badge, the account’s verification status was obtained through X’s paid subscription model, introduced in 2021, which allows any user to acquire the blue tick by paying a monthly fee. Therefore, the presence of a verification badge does not indicate affiliation with any official or governmental entity. Additionally, no such claims were found on the verified Facebook page of the Pakistan Armed Forces or the official X account of its Public Relations Directorate.
Moreover, relevant keyword searches yielded no credible media reports or verified sources supporting the circulated claims. As a result, the post, originally published on a personal X profile of a defense analyst, was falsely propagated as an official statement from the Pakistan Army or Ministry of Defense.
