Claim: A picture shows the dead body of Pakistani teenager Arsalan Naseer’s father, who, according to reports, died due to police brutality in August 2023. Fact: The picture is neither related to Arsalan Naseer nor from Pakistan. On 14 August 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user @AamnaFasihi tweeted (archive) a picture of a dead body being […]
Claim: Photos show PML-N supporters taking Humayun Dilawar, a trial court judge, shopping in London. Fact: ADSJ Humayun Dilawar is not seen in any of the pictures. Moreover, the PML-N supporters were in London, while the judge was in Hull. On 8 August 2023, Facebook user ‘Deeba Ajaz Butt’ posted (archive) a combination of five […]
Claim: The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) has launched a programme in collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service for Pakistani students to get the chance to study at universities in Germany on scholarship. Fact: The DAAD’s Islamabad office has said they do not “have any ongoing collaboration linked to the PMY Programme” at present. […]
Claim: A video shows a crowd of people participating in a protest against the Pakistan Army chief. Fact: The protest had nothing to do with the Pakistan Army chief but was, in fact, against a prominent Shiite cleric being booked in a police case. On 29 August 2023, singer and activist Salman Ahmad posted a […]
Claim: A picture shows Fazlur Rehman sitting in an aeroplane with a bottle of whiskey and a half-filled glass on the armrest beside him. Fact: The image has been doctored; the original photo does not have anything on the armrest. On 9 August 2023, the Facebook page ‘PTI Tiger’ posted (archive) a picture with the […]
Claim: Anchor Fiza Riaz says a litre of petrol costs 173.9 Canadian dollars in Canada. Fact: Petrol prices in Canada are listed in cents per litre; the anchor has falsely portrayed the price as extremely high when compared to those in Pakistan. On 13 August 2023, Fiza Riaz — the host of PNN News’ morning […]
Claim: The economy of Pakistan has shrunk from 6.1% to 0.3%. Fact: The economy of Pakistan has not shrunk or entered a negative region but registered a comparatively lower GDP growth rate of 0.3%, as opposed to 6.1% earlier, indicating that it has experienced a slowdown. On 25 May 2023, the Express Tribune published a […]
Claim: A viral video shows a Pakistani pastor speaking about and condemning the 2023 Jaranwala rampage. The woman in the clip is the daughter of the Pakistani fighter pilot and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Wing Commander Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat. The claim adds that she has given other interviews, in which she said she is proud […]
Claim: CCTV footage shows an alien in the backyard of a Las Vegas home; the panicked occupants made a 911 call requesting authorities’ assistance. Fact: The video was created by TikTok user @owltreestump using an open-source 3D computer graphics software called blender. The clip is CGI and not real footage of an alien. On 11 […]
Claim: A picture shows the dead bodies of 13 people who died during the 2023 Hajj. Fact: The image dates back to at least 2017. On 10 July 2023, Facebook user ‘Ahmad Raza’ posted (archive) an image of multiple dead bodies, lined up in white cloth, inside what appears to be the Kaaba, or the […]
Claim: A collage of three pictures prove that Seema Haider is an Indian spy. Fact: The pictures show three different women. The black-and-white image shows Usharani Narendra, one of India’s first woman sub-inspectors of police. Another one depicts Major Samia Rehman, a Pakistan Army officer who has served in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in DR […]
Claim: Shehbaz Sharif cried over the pain people are experiencing due to increasing inflation after increasing the petrol prices by PKR 19.95. Fact: The photo is authentic but presented misleadingly; Sharif’s party, the PML-N, posted it in May 2023, with the caption that he cried while watching a video of Pakistan Army martyrs during an […]