Areeba Fatima

Areeba Fatima is a senior fact-checker and investigative reporter. She studied Anthropology at Lahore University of Management Sciences. She has also worked with Fact Focus on an Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation, the Suisse Secrets. She loves working with large datasets to extract meaningful information. She is interested in internet governance, financial crime, political corruption and emerging technologies.

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Claim: Natasha Danish, identified as the driver of the SUV involved in the fatal Karsaz incident that resulted in two deaths, has reportedly left the country.  Fact: Natasha has been sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand and has not left the country.   On Tuesday, 19 August 2024, a woman driving an SUV, […]

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Claim: A viral video shows a man  walking into an elevator with an e-bike battery, which almost instantly bursts into flames, causing an explosion inside the lift. In the latter half of the video, the same man can be seen being dragged out of the elevator, unconscious and almost completely covered with burn marks.  Fact: […]

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Claim: Elon Musk alleged that Google has banned searches for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, preventing users from finding relevant results when searching for Trump’s name. Fact: Musk’s assertion is false. Donald J Trump can be searched on Google in the United States of America; his name has not been banned. On 29 July 2024, […]

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Claim: The new blueprint of the Malir Expressway indicates that the project’s successful completion will not result in the demolition of any houses.. Niaz Soomro, the Project Director for Malir Expressway claimed that according to their new alignment there are no buildings on their way while the initial alignment was affecting up to 700 houses. […]

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Claim: A billboard in F-10 Markaz, Islamabad shows the faces of several high-ranking military officials stamped with a handprint and a phrase in Urdu script saying “Traitors of Pakistan”.  Fact: The billboard shows pictures of multiple journalists who have spoken in favour of Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). It also includes pictures of […]

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Claim: Babar Azam was offered 90 crore Rupees by Mukesh Ambani to attend his son Anant Ambani’s wedding. Fact: The claim is false. It originated from a satirical post and was later misinterpreted and spread as factual information. On 15 July 2024, social media users, including Threads user ‘noor_hussain_khann’ and the Facebook page ‘Muhajir Community’, […]

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Claim: Renowned journalist Kamran Khan is dead.  Fact: Kamran Khan is alive and well.    On 15 July 2024, a post on Threads claimed that journalist Kamran Khan had passed away. It shared a photograph of him with the following caption:   ‏سینئیر اینکر کامران خان ” دنیا ” چھوڑ گئے…..! Translation: Senior Anchor Kamran […]

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Claim: An image circulated on WhatsApp and social media shows a stark contrast between a well-developed school in Larkana, Sindh in 1873 and a dilapidated structure in 2017. The claim suggests that the region has regressed since British rule. Fact: The image purportedly from 1873 is not of a school in Larkana but of the […]

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Claim: Viral posts on social media claimed that Dr Gilbert A Kwak, a professor at ICBS General Hospital, stated that hot fig water can cure cancer and that hot figs can “destroy” cancer cells. Fact: Although test tube studies have shown that figs possess some anti-cancer properties, there is no credible evidence to support the […]

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Claim: Lazar Masih and his son Nazir Masih were killed in Sargodha in a lynching attempt by the residents of Mujahid colony in Sargodha.  Fact: Lazar Masih was not murdered, nor was his son Sultan. Lazar Masih, also known as Nazir, who was attacked and left injured, but alive.  On 27 May 2024, a photograph […]

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Claim: A viral video suggests that a significant number of Argentines are converting to Islam, as evidenced by footage of a woman visiting a mosque, converting to Islam, and reciting the Shahada, in accordance with Islamic traditions. Fact: The video in question is misleading; it was actually filmed at the Islamic Centre South West Ontario […]

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Claim: A Twitter post by @Osint613 claims to show a child in Gaza faking injuries amidst the rubble, suggesting crisis actors are being used to fabricate stories of Israeli bombings. Fact: The video in question is actually behind-the-scenes footage from a choreographed film shoot, not a depiction of real events in Gaza. This was very […]

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