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, […]
Claim: SSGC has announced a new daytime gas load-shedding schedule in Karachi. Fact: The message is false. The SSGC has termed it ‘fake news’ in a statement issued on 18 May 2023. On 18 May 2023, Soch Fact Check received a WhatsApp message claiming the Karachi-based Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSCG) had announced a […]
Claim: An image shows a woman standing in front of riot police in Lahore during protests against the arrest of Imran Khan. Fact: The image is not real but generated through artificial intelligence (AI) software Midjourney. Its creator says a real-life incident was the inspiration behind his creation. On 11 May 2023, Twitter user @whirlingdervsh […]
Claim: Akshay Kumar has condemned Imran Khan’s arrest. Fact: An old video of Akshay Kumar endorsing a wearable fitness device has been doctored. The Bollywood actor has not actually made any comments regarding Imran Khan. On 10 May 2023, Facebook page ‘PTI Murree’ posted a video (archive) claiming that Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has, through […]
Claim: An image shows PTI protesters standing atop and conquering the Bala Hisar Fort, which houses the FC headquarters in Peshawar, amid demonstrations against the arrest of Imran Khan. Fact: The image actually shows civilian employees of Bala Hisar Fort watching the protest on the main GT Road, according to the journalist who took the […]
Claim: A video shows a large group of PTI protesters outside Avenfield House following the arrest of Imran Khan. Fact: The video is old and has nothing to do with Khan’s arrest. On 10 May 2023, Twitter user Faisal Khan, with the handle @KaliwalYam, posted a video (archive) allegedly showing a large group of Pakistan […]
Claim: A picture shows “skud clouds” over Sydney, Australia. Fact: The picture is an artwork created via digital manipulation by artist and photographer Brent Shavnore. It was first published in December 2020. On 25 April 2023, Facebook page ‘Science Hub’ posted a picture (archive) claiming to show scud clouds over the Australian city of Sydney. […]
Claim: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz has died. Fact: Saudi King Salman has not died. A video accompanying the claim is actually an announcement of the death of his predecessor, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in 2015. On 15 April 2023, Facebook page ‘pwdpi.com’ posted a video (archive) claiming that King Salman bin Abdulaziz […]
Claim: Women these days reach menopause by age 30. Fact: It is factually incorrect that women these days reach menopause by age 30. Two gynaecologists that Soch Fact Check spoke to, as well as a number of peer-reviewed research papers and studies, prove that women in Pakistan reach menopause around the age of 47-55. Furthermore, […]
Claim: A court in Pakistan’s Punjab province used artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT-4 to make a decision in a legal case involving a dispute between two parties over a contract. Fact: The decision of the bail petition was not made by or with the help of ChatGPT, but Judge Amir Munir only consulted the artificial […]
Claim: A picture claims to show that a woman, wearing the PTI’s colours and holding the party’s flag, is Sahar Ata Bandial, the daughter of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial. Fact: The picture is of Tayyaba Raja, a PTI supporter and social media influencer. It does not show Sahar Bandial. On 2 […]
Claim: More animals will be brought to the Karachi Zoo, according to the Sindh government’s spokesperson Murtaza Wahab. Fact: The report being shared is not recent but from November 2022. Moreover, KMC Media Department Director Ali Hassan Sajid confirmed to Soch Fact Check that there is “no such plan formed nor a recommendation” in this […]