Haseem uz Zaman

Haseem is a senior digital verification journalist at Soch Fact Check and producer at Soch Videos. Previously associated with Geo News, they have extensive news-building and editorial experience and have led a breaking news department in the past. They divide their time between reading and photography and their areas of interest include gender, minority rights, intersectionality, and class and oppression, as well as protests and politics in South Asia.

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Claim: A video shows 400 rockets being fired by Gaza, Palestine, into Israel, with Israel’s Yoav Galant saying “400 rockets fired at Israel from Gaza hit residential buildings”. Fact: The video is old and does not show footage from the recent escalation between Israel and Palestine. Galant’s comments have been wrongly presented. On 11 May […]

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Claim: A video shows an F-35 fighter jet — in some cases identified as F-4 — performing a stunt by tilting itself into a vertical position in the air. Fact: The video does not show an F-35 fighter jet but a scaled-down RC version of a fighter jet. On 7 May 2023, Twitter account @clipsthatgohard […]

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Claim: A video statement of Imran Khan was recorded just before his arrest on 9 May 2023. Fact: The video statement of Imran Khan was actually posted in October 2022. On 9 May 2023, the Press Trust of India (PTI) posted a video statement (archive) of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran […]

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Claim: A video shows a Punjab Police officer “misbehaving” and “insulting” an older woman amid a recent crackdown by authorities following protests across Pakistan against the 9 May arrest of Imran Khan. Fact: The video is not recent, nor does it have anything to do with the May 2023 crackdown by Punjab Police. It is, […]

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Claim: A young student, who was reportedly one of the people who stole peacocks from a Pakistan Army housing compound during the protests against the arrest of Imran Khan, “has been sentenced to 10 years jail”. Fact: Soch Fact Check found no news reports of such a development. Moreover, we spoke to a constitutional lawyer, […]

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