Claim: Pakistan has banned indoor dining to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic’s fifth wave. Fact: On 19 January 2022, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) banned indoor gatherings, weddings, and dining, but only in districts and cities with a COVID-19 positivity rate over 10%. Fact or Fiction? On 21 January 2022, Facebook page FHM Pakistan […]
Claim: A video doing the rounds on social media depicts the Taliban destroying mobile phones in Afghanistan. Fact: The video is not of the Taliban destroying mobile phones in Afghanistan but of Pakistan Customs’ officers destroying smuggled and contraband goods at a destruction ceremony in Karachi. Fact or Fiction: On 13 January 2022, Facebook page […]
Claim: Pakistan has cancelled a deal with Turkey to acquire 30 T129 ATAK helicopters. Fact: Pakistan has not cancelled the helicopter deal with Turkey. Fact or Fiction? On 5 January 2022, Facebook page The Bangladesh Defence Analyst made the following claim in a post: “DG ISPR has confirmed that Pakistan Army Aviation is going to […]
Claim: The Government of Sindh has ordered the closure of schools across the province and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has suggested imposing a lockdown due to the concerning COVID-19 situation. Fact: The chief minister said the decision to impose a lockdown and close schools would be taken in line with National Command and Operation […]
Claim: The Kākāpō, a species of endangered bird found in New Zealand, can barely walk. The birds also mate with rocks. Fact: According to the Department of Conservation (New Zealand), Kākāpō can walk and climb well. They do not mate with rocks. Fact or Fiction? Kākāpō are a critically endangered species found in New Zealand. […]
Claim: Pakistani outlets wrongly claim that lice are being sold by salons in Dubai. Fact: It was, in fact, reported by UAE-based publications in 2016 that women visited salons in Dubai to purchase lice for 14 DHS (PKR 600), believing that the lice would help treat hair loss. However, no such practice has been reported […]
Claim: Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Ahsan Iqbal said that the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam should be conducted in Urdu in his address at a seminar held by the Maulana Zafar Ali Trust. Fact: Posts sharing the quote are misrepresenting Ahsan Iqbal’s words and missing context; referring to the CSS exam, […]
Claim: Germany has launched the world’s first transparent car. Fact: The world’s first transparent car has not been unveiled by the German car company, ZF Group. Fact or Fiction? On 31 December 2021, Facebook page Unknown Knowledge shared this photo claiming it to be of the world’s first transparent car launched by Germany. The post […]
Claim: The UK’s Santander Bank mistakenly deposited millions of pounds across 75,000 consumer accounts. Fact: The British bank has, in fact, erroneously deposited £130 million across 75,000 consumer accounts. However, the payments were only made into the accounts of Santander’s UK customers. [People’s bank balance shot up, check your accounts, bank mistakenly deposits millions across […]