Fact Check: Did a Karachi man strip himself in public against inflated electricity bill?

Photos of a man are circulating on social media in Pakistan, allegedly showing him stripping in public on a road. Social media users claim this incident occurred in Karachi and was in protest against inflated electricity bills.

However, these claims are false as the photos are about 7 years old and originally from a protest against a traffic jam. It’s unclear whether the incident took place in Karachi or elsewhere.

The social media posts suggest that a rickshaw driver stripped off his clothes in protest against receiving an “inflated electricity bill” in July 2024.

These photos resurfaced amid growing concerns in the country over the affordability of electricity, coinciding with the government’s recent approval of price hikes.

In reality, these images have been circulating since 2017, related to a man who removed his clothes to intervene in a protest blocking traffic. They do not depict a recent incident related to rising electricity costs.