Hamna Iqbal Baig

Hamna Baig is a fact-checker at Soch Fact Check. She has a BA in Media Sciences from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology and an MA in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Kent. Her stories have appeared in an international media outlet, Pioneers Post as well as in local online and print publications in Pakistan; DAWN, ARY News and SAMAA Digital. She covers culture, social issues and social entrepreneurship as a freelance journalist.

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A photo in the article below contains images some may find graphic. Claim: A photo shows injured police officers who were targeted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers during the Zaman Park stand-off in Lahore. Fact: The photo actually shows injured police constables lying on the ground as a result of a clash with the far-right […]

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Claim: A video shows a petrol pump in Lahore being set on fire to protest against fuel hikes in Pakistan.  Fact: The video is from June 2020, when a petrol station in Narowal, Punjab, was set on fire by people protesting against the petrol cartel. Fact or Fiction? On 30 January 2023, Twitter user Maj […]

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Claim: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf failed to build a forensic laboratory for DNA testing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Fact: The Forensic Science Lab in KP became functional on 6 February 2018, although the lab was established three years before then to conduct DNA profiling. Fact or Fiction? On 3 February 2023, Twitter user Faizan Khan claimed that […]

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Claim: The Pink Peoples Bus Service in Karachi, Sindh, is the first women-only bus service in Pakistan.  Fact: The Pink Bus Service in Sindh is the first women-only bus service in the province, but not the country. The women-only buses were launched in Lahore in 2012, in Peshawar in April 2019 and in Gilgit-Baltistan in […]

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Claim: A video shows a building in Syria collapsing after the massive earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on 6 February 2023. Fact:  The clip is, in fact, from 2022 and shows the demolition of the Supertech twin towers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria […]

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Claim: A photo shows a huge crowd in Islamabad with some people holding passports and fleeing Pakistan due to the current economic crisis.  Fact: The photo dates back to October 2020 when Afghans queued up in Jalalabad, Afghanistan to collect the tokens needed to apply for Pakistan’s visa. On 16 February 2023, Twitter user @rjs32826722 […]

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Claim: A photo shows an Indian fan holding a placard supporting Pakistan’s cricket team captain Babar Azam at a match. Fact: The viral photo is doctored. The original poster, dating back to 2018, features former Indian captain MS Dhoni’s name instead of Babar Azam. Fact or Fiction? On 27 January 2023, Twitter user Nawaz (@Rnawaz31888) […]

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Claim: A news grab of Hum News’ bulletin suggests that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz has said that people from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are jealous of her beauty.  Fact: The media outlet did not air any such news, nor did the PML-N leader make any such comment. The news grab doing the rounds on […]

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Claim: A video shows Pakistanis slaughtering dogs and donkeys for meat amid the economic crisis and skyrocketing inflation.  Fact: The video, which shows a female anchor raiding an illegal slaughterhouse in Karachi selling donkey and dog meat during an Abb Takk News’ show, is from 2015. Fact or Fiction? On 14 February 2023, Twitter user […]

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Claim: A photo shows the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan (DG ISI) Nadeem Anjum attending the funeral of former Pakistani president and military dictator General Pervez Musharraf. Fact: The photo is actually from January 2023, when the DG ISI attended the funeral prayers of two martyred officers of the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department. Fact or […]

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Claim: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an Indian political party, is considered the party with the largest propaganda and misinformation network in the world, followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Fact: The index being alluded to by viral posts was shared by a parody account, South Youthia Index, on Twitter. Fact or Fiction? On 7 February […]

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Claim: A video shows a hotel’s kitchen in Turkey shaking and people screaming after a massive earthquake hit the country on 6 February 2023. Fact: The footage has been wrongly linked to the recent earthquake. It was taken three years ago when an earthquake struck Izmir, Turkey, on 30 October 2020. Two severe earthquakes — […]

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