Fact Check: Massive Traffic Jam In Uttarakhand? No, Video Is From Pakistan

A video is being circulated on social media depicting a long traffic snarl with users claiming that it depicted congestion in Uttarakhand owing to the new year. However, the PTI Fact Check Desk, in its investigation found that an old video from Kaghan valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan resurfaced on social media with a false claim. 

Claim

An Instagram user, named, 'Nitesh Talks' shared a post on December 30 2024 claiming that the roads in Uttarakhand were jam packed due to traffic due to the new year, and had garnered 15,089 likes.

The video which was shared with a Hindi message read: "Traffic jam in Uttarakhand on new year" 

Here is the link and archive link and below is the screenshot of the same. 

Investigation

The Desk first ran the video through InVid Tool Search and found a few keyframes. On running one of the keyframes through Google Lens, the Desk came across another social media post, which carried the same video with users claiming it to be from Himachal Pradesh. 

The link of the post can be viewed here and here and their archive link can be found here and here. 

On further scanning the search results we came across an Instagram post by 'Pakistani Journal' put out on July 25, 2021, whose caption read: "Situation right now at Balakot-Naran road as tourists head towards northern areas after Eid." 

Here is the link and archive link and below is the screenshot the same. 

Below is a combination image, highlighting the similarities between the viral video and the May 2021 Facebook post. 

Taking cue from this, the Desk conducted a customised keyword research on Google to find relevant material to substantiate the investigation. We came across a news bulletin on YouTube by Pakistani media outlet 'ARY News', uploaded on July 26, 2021. 

The title of the report read: "Roads blocked, hotels full, tourist stuck on roads towards kaghan". It featured a similar video of the one making rounds on social media claiming it to be from India. 

Here is the link and below is the screenshot of the same. 

The video report mentioned that in Naran, hundreds of thousands of cars were stuck in a traffic jam, with the vehicles' line stretching as far as the eye could see. 

Another customised keyword search on Google led the Desk to an article published by  Pakistani newspaper Daily Times on July 26, 2021, that featured the same image of the jam as seen in the viral video. 

Here is the link and below is the screenshot of the same. 

The report mentioned: "Tourists have flocked to the Kaghan valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Mansehra district in record numbers this Eidul Azha, with hundreds of thousands of vehicles choking the roads and causing traffic jams in the scenic tourist site, a private TV channel reported on Sunday." 

Below is a combination image comparing the visuals of the viral video to that of the photo featured in the Pakistani news report. 

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that the viral video was from Pakistan and not India. 

CLAIM
Traffic congestion in Uttarakhand due to New Year

FACT
The video dates back to 2021 and is from Kaghan valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan

CONCLUSION
Social media users shared a video depicting a long traffic snarl with users claiming that it depicted congestion in Uttarakhand owing to the new year. In its investigation the Desk found that an old video dating back to 2021 from Pakistan was shared with a false claim.

(This story was originally published by Press Trust Of India, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)