Fact Check: Viral video DOES NOT show Balochistan Independence Day celebrations

A video of Baloch human rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch addressing a large crowd has gone viral on social media. Allegedly, it shows her celebrating Balochistan’s Independence Day on August 11.In the video, she is seen delivering a fiery speech to a gathering of supporters. Notably, Baloch separatists do observe Independence Day on August 11 every year.Mahrang Baloch @MahrangBaloch_ is not merely a voice. She is a symbol of Baloch resistance & the aspirations of the #Baloch people.When she speaks, the streets of Balochistan answer. Her courage has inspired people across the region to stand up for their identity, dignity & pic.twitter.com/3eX0vRcaGM— Sajid Yousuf Shah (@TheSkandar) August 12, 2026Sharing the clip, many claimed that the “Lioness of Balochistan”, Dr Mahrang Baloch, had “declared Balochistan an Independent State separate from Pakistan & recognised Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) as an integral part of Bharat.” News outlets like Times Now, NewsX, and Amrita News shared the video, calling it Independence Day celebrations in Balochistan.India Today Fact Check, however, found that the video is more than two years old and does not show Balochi Independence Day celebrations. Additionally, Dr Mahrang Baloch has been in jail for more than a year now.OUR PROBE Reverse-searching keyframes from the viral video led us to the same clip on a YouTube channel, shared on November 14, 2025. This confirmed that the video is not recent. A subsequent Google Lens search for the logo featured in the video led us to The Balochistan Post, a YouTube channel.The original video was uploaded to this channel on January 28, 2024, with the caption, "Mahrang Baloch Pulls One Of The Largest Crowds in Balochistan's History." The description mentioned that the rally was organised on January 27, 2024, by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, a human rights group from Balochistan, formed and led by Dr Mahrang Baloch.The portion of the video that has now gone viral can be seen at the eight-minute-20-second mark.As per reports published by Dawn and The Print in January 2024, thousands gathered in Quetta for this rally against alleged state atrocities, defying an order banning public gatherings in the city.Addressing the gathering at Shahwani Stadium, Dr Baloch described the movement against enforced disappearances as a “revolution.” All of this points to the video being unrelated to the Balochi Independence Day.It is also worth mentioning that Dr Mahrang Baloch was arrested by the Pakistani police on March 22, 2025, during a sit-in protest in Quetta. As per a Time magazine report, authorities barred her lawyer from visiting her in jail. In June 2026, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced Mahrang and a fellow activist to life imprisonment after convicting them of terrorism, sedition, and murder. Since then, Dr Baloch has remained in jail.It is therefore clear that the video is neither recent nor related to any Independence Day celebration in Balochistan.- EndsPublished By: Pathikrit SanyalPublished On: Aug 13, 2026 18:23 IST