No, This Is Not a Photo of People Trying To Flee Pakistan During Economic Crisis

The photo is not from Pakistan, but dates back to October 2020 and is from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

A photo showing a crowd, with some holding passports, is being shared on social media claiming that it shows people in Pakistan trying to leave the country because of its economic condition.

(Archives of more claims on social media can be seen here, here, and here.)

Is it true?: The photo dates back to 21 October 2020, and shows people in Afghanistan's Jalalabad gathered to collect tokens to apply for a visa to Pakistan.

How did we find out?: We did a reverse image search on the viral photo, which led us to a photo story dated 21 October 2020 published by Reuters.

• The report mentioned that it showed a photo of Afghan men, who had gathered to collect tokens to apply for Pakistan visa. The gathering, however, led to a stampede resulting in 15 deaths.

• Another report by the news agency said that tens of thousands of Afghans had gathered at a stadium to collect tokens for visa applications to Pakistan.

• Pakistani news organisation Geo TV Urdu also carried the viral photo in an article about the stampede in Jalalabad.

• We also came across a tweet by former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. He condoled the families of the deceased.

Conclusion: The photograph dates back to October 2020 and shows people waiting to collect tokens for Pakistani visas in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

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