This Pakistani Backpacker Did Not Trek to the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup
The Claim
A 70-year-old Pakistani backpacker is seen in a video walking to the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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Emerging story
A video purportedly showing a 70-year-old Pakistani backpacker traveling far to attend the Qatar World Cup began making the rounds on social media prior to the 2022 tournament.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral video and found the claim to be misleading.
The video circulating does not show an elderly Pakistani walking from Pakistan to Qatar to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
"True Freedom March"
The video shows a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member walking across Pakistan to participate in a political march led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Misbar found the video posted on October 31 by the official Twitter account of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
According to the caption, the man in the video is 70-year-old Hassan Massod.
Interview with Hassan Massod
Misbar also found a video of an interview with Hassan Massod on the Pakistani Neo News Urdu channel. In the interview, Massod talked about how far he had walked to take part in the "March of True Freedom."
Hassan Massod’s Twitter Account
Misbar also discovered a Twitter account that published a picture of Hassan Massod and Imran Khan at a rally during the most recent protests.
The caption stated that Massod had joined the march on foot from the city of Lahore and urged Imran Khan to return as prime minister.
On October 28, Imran Khan rallied hundreds of supporters in Lahore to join a caravan of cars and trucks heading to Islamabad to pressure the government into calling snap elections.
Since being deposed in April, Khan has held anti-government rallies across Pakistan.
According to the government, the elections will be held as planned in October of next year. Khan, on the other hand, asserts that he is not willing to wait.
Imran Khan recently survived a shooting attack at a political rally.
One person was killed, and several others were injured in a failed attack on Khan.
Qatar Will Host the FIFA World Cup 2022
The circulating claim surfaced weeks before Qatar's 2022 World Cup kicks off on November 20.
For the first time in history, FIFA's 2022 World Cup will be held in an Arab country.
Qatar and Ecuador will play the opening match of the 2022 World Cup.
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