Claim: A cargo ship carrying Russian oil has refused to unload its consignment until Imran Khan “personally comes to receive it”. Fact: The report is satire. On 2 April 2023, Twitter user @drfatima_pti posted a visual (archive) showing former prime minister and chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, against a backdrop of cargo […]
Claim: A video shows Rana Sanaullah engaging in sexual activities with another man. Fact: The video, which can be traced as far back as at least 2019, does not show Rana Sanaullah and has been wrongly linked to the Pakistani interior minister. On 1 June 2023, Facebook user ‘Hammad Abbasi’ posted a video (archive) that […]
Claim: Geo News reported in one of their news bulletins that hospital sources have confirmed Khadijah Shah was sexually assaulted in prison. Fact: The visual is manipulated and the editor of Geo News’ Urdu website has confirmed that it is a doctored image. On 28 May 2023, Facebook user ‘Imtiaz Hussain Pti’ posted two pictures […]
Claim: A video shows Maulana Fazlur Rehman stepping off a state jet he used to travel to Thailand for a “private” trip. Fact: The video is actually from 2022 and shows Fazlur Rehman arriving in Karachi for another religious cleric’s funeral. On 2 April 2023, Umar Jutt, a special correspondent at Dunya News, tweeted a […]
Claim: A video claims to show Khawaja Asif facing the first public backlash as a man throws ink on his face during a speech after “calling teachers dacoits”. Fact: The video does not show the public’s reaction to Khawaja Asif “calling teachers dacoits”. The clip is, in fact, from 2018 and is not related to […]
Claim: A viral WhatsApp message claims that Michael Jackson’s unreleased last song was about Hajj and that Saudi Arabia bought the rights from the US. Fact: Michael Jackson did not record this song, but Pakistani-Canadian singer Irfan Makki. It was uploaded on YouTube in 2012. The other claim that it was bought by Saudi Arabia […]
Claim: The missing submersible Titan was found empty. Fact: A CNN spokesperson has confirmed that the image was fabricated. The screenshot is, therefore, doctored. On 21 June 2023, Facebook page ‘Swagteamondeck’ posted a reel (archive) containing a screenshot allegedly from a CNN report, claiming that a submersible named Titan, which went missing a few days […]
Claim: A video shows the “menacing skies & turbulent seas” of Cyclone Biparjoy near Sea View, Karachi. Fact: The video does not show Karachi’s Sea View, nor is it from any coastal areas of Pakistan. It is, in fact, Category 2 Pacific Hurricane Olaf, which made landfall in Baja California Peninsula in Mexico in September […]
Claim: A video shows a powerful explosion that rocked “an operating nuclear power plant in Karachi”, Pakistan. Fact: The video does not show an explosion at a nuclear power plant but a blast at an electrical grid station in DHA, Karachi. On 12 June 2023, Twitter user @steve_hanke posted a video (archive) showing smoke rising […]
Claim: A photo shows the badly-bruised back of a female PTI supporter who was tortured in custody following a government crackdown on the party in response to protests over Imran Khan’s arrest. Fact: The image shows the back of a woman who was tortured at a dance event in Peshawar in 2021. It is unrelated […]
Claim: Asif Zardari has announced support for Imran Khan, saying Shehbaz Sharif cannot lead Pakistan. Fact: Zardari has not announced support for Khan, nor has he said Sharif cannot lead Pakistan; the press conference shown in the video is actually from 2019. Another clip with the same caption but a different press conference is actually […]
Claim: A photo shows Khadijah Shah wearing sweatpants and a cropped top while posing on a rooftop. Fact: The image does not show Khadijah Shah but Elnaaz Norouzi, an Iranian-German actor and model. On 24 May 2023, Facebook page ‘REALITY.of life’ uploaded a post (archive) comprising two pictures, one showing a woman prisoner in police […]