April 23, 2026 | 02:42 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An old video posted on Instagram [archive], Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube claims that Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto tore up a United Nations document. This act is said to have been a protest against Pakistan's ban on developing nuclear weapons.
The video shows a man delivering an emotional speech, tearing up a piece of paper, and leaving the room. According to some sources, the torn document contained a nuclear development agreement. "Historic video of Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto tearing up a document because Pakistan should not have nuclear weapons," wrote the text in Indonesian on the video.
Is it true that Zulfikar tore up official UN documents in the video because he did not receive permission to develop nuclear weapons?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the content using reverse image searches and other reliable sources. In fact, the meeting depicted in the video was not about the development of nuclear weapons.
The man in the video is Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was the president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and the prime minister. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) uploaded the video on YouTube, which was recorded at the 1971 UN meeting.
Tempo downloaded the 32-second video and then transcribed it using OpenAI's Whisper app. The results showed that Zulfikar did not mention nuclear weapons; rather, he expressed anger at having to cede part of his country's territory to another party.
"Your decision will not bind us. You can decide what you like. My country calls me. Why should I waste my time in the Security Council? I will not be the one who reprehensibly surrenders part of my country," Zulfikar said in a statement translated into Indonesian.
The UN posted a similar image of Zulfikar walking away from an event held on December 15, 1971. The meeting was held to discuss a draft resolution concerning the India-Pakistan conflict, not the development of nuclear weapons.
According to The New York Times, Zulfikar did not mention nuclear weapons at the meeting. According to the Pakistan People's Party, the document he tore up was not an official UN treaty, but rather his own notes.
At the UN meeting, Zulfikar served as Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, not as its President.
The Story of East and West Pakistan
The meeting at the UN headquarters in New York took place amid domestic conflict and insurgency in Pakistan, which sparked a civil war on March 26, 1971. At that time, East Pakistan was demanding independence from the central government in West Pakistan.
Geographically, India's territory was located between East and West Pakistan. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, India escalated the conflict by providing the rebels with training and arms support.
India's intervention resulted in direct, open warfare between Pakistan and India, resulting in millions of casualties and refugees. At the United Nations, Zulfikar firmly rejected the partition of East Pakistan.
However, on December 16, 1971, Pakistan surrendered to India. East Pakistan finally gained independence and was renamed Bangladesh.
CONCLUSION
Tempo's investigation found that the video of Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto tearing up a UN document because he was prohibited from developing nuclear weapons is misleading.
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