Dawn Did Not Publish 80% Poll on Sarhad University Clash, Viral Graphic Debunked

A viral social media graphic claiming that Dawn News reported that 80% of Pakistanis were happy about a soldier being beaten during the recent Sarhad University clash has been found to be false.

The claim surfaced on social media on August 24, 2026, alongside an image showing a uniformed individual during the confrontation at Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology (SUSIT) in Islamabad.

The graphic carried the claim that, according to Dawn News, "80% of Pakistanis" were happy about the way the soldier was beaten at the university.

However, a review of Dawn's reporting found no such statistic, poll or survey.

What Happened at Sarhad University?

On August 24, 2026, an army officer reportedly fired shots into the air during a heated confrontation with students at Sarhad University in Islamabad.

Videos of the incident subsequently circulated widely on social media.

According to media reports, the officer was taken into protective custody and could face disciplinary proceedings under military law.

The confrontation reportedly took place during a student protest concerning a university official. However, the details surrounding the dispute have not been independently verified.

Fact Check

Dawn published a report on August 24 covering the confrontation at Sarhad University, the videos circulating online, the alleged firing and the reported disciplinary action against the security official.

However, the report does not mention an 80% figure and contains no poll, survey or estimate measuring public opinion about the incident.

A second Dawn report published on August 25 was also reviewed and contained no such statistic or survey.

The newspaper's dated news archive for August 24 was also examined. Although it included coverage of the Sarhad University incident, no separate report containing an 80% public-opinion figure was found.

The alleged statistic was also not found in Dawn News' Urdu coverage or in publicly available posts on its official social media platforms.

No Evidence of Any 80% Survey

The viral graphic does not provide a link to the alleged Dawn News report.

It also fails to identify any polling organisation, sample size, survey date or methodology explaining how the supposed 80% figure was calculated.

These omissions further undermine the credibility of the claim.

While Dawn did report on the confrontation and the reported action against the security official, its coverage did not claim that 80% of Pakistanis or social media users were happy about the incident.

The 80% figure therefore appears to have been falsely attributed to Dawn News.

Viral Spread

The claim spread across multiple social media platforms.

At least 22 posts repeating or sharing the claim were identified, including posts on Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

The Facebook posts alone accumulated approximately 25,300 reactions, 2,393 comments, 1,383 shares and 5,000 views.

Conclusion: Dawn reported on the August 24 confrontation at Sarhad University, but did not publish any poll or survey claiming that 80% of Pakistanis were happy about the incident. The viral graphic falsely attributes the statistic to Dawn News and provides no evidence or methodology to support the 80% claim.