Claim: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the recent by-election in Swat by defeating a “13-party coalition of PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement] single handedly”. Fact: There were four candidates in the Swat by-election, including one each from the PTI, the Awami National Party (ANP), and the Tehreek-e-Inqelab Political Movement (TiPM), as well as an independent. The […]
Claim: Russian Consul General Andrey Fedorov has said his country “will provide oil on cheap rates if [the] Pakistan government contacted us” and confirmed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim that his government was in talks with Russia to buy oil at a “30% discounted rate”. Fact: Fedorov made no such comment. At a press conference, the […]
Claim: A video shared on Facebook shows former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha making “shocking revelations” about the country’s nuclear assets being “at risk”. Fact: The video does not show Lt Gen Shuja Pasha. It appears to have been taken from the now-deleted YouTube channel of Pakistan Army veteran Captain (R) […]
Claim: According to a viral WhatsApp message an Indian film called “Allaah Banday” will feature an actor portraying the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Fact: No such movie is in the works nor has India produced such a movie in the past. On 20 June 2022, Soch Fact Check received a forwarded chain message on WhatsApp containing […]
Claim: The Government of Pakistan under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will soon allow the United States to use its airspace to carry out military operations in Afghanistan, according to a CNN report. Fact: The CNN article cited in viral claims is actually from October 2021. At that time, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to […]
Claim: A picture shows Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz Sharif wearing a yellow kurta under a medium dark yellow, chequered blazer. Fact: The picture has been doctored. A yellow paint overlay appears to have been applied to Hamza Shahbaz’s blazer using a photo-editing application. The original photo shows Shahbaz […]
Claim: A video shows a large group of people in Pakistan protesting in response to recent controversial remarks by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) former spokesperson Nupur Sharma and party leader Naveen Kumar Jindal that were seen as insulting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Fact: The video is from 2021 and is not connected to any anti-India […]
Claim: American actress and singer Zendaya is pregnant with partner Tom Holland’s baby. Fact: Zendaya is not pregnant. The actress addressed the rumours — which can be traced back to a TikTok video by user @ryan.roberts — on her Instagram story. On 15 June 2022, thousands of tweets flooded Twitter users’ timelines as reports of […]
Claim: A video circulating online shows a JF-17 Thunder aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) being stolen by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Fact: The video was, in fact, posted by a Reddit user who, along with his friends, was watching a JF-17 aircraft taxiing into a PAF base. An aircraft was […]
Claim: According to a tweet circulating online, Pakistan’s current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, wore a scarf bearing the Palestinian flag to show his support for the Palestinian cause. Fact: Sharif wore the flag in 2021 when he was a member of the opposition, not recently after becoming the country’s prime minister. On 2 June 2022, […]
Claim: According to news reports, there will be a second hike of between PKR 25-40 in petrol prices, just days after the government increased prices by PKR 30 per litre. Fact: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail denied reports that a second price hike will take place on June 7, saying, “There will be no increase in […]
Claim: A news clipping written in Urdu states that a man who was trapped in a desert in Saudi Arabia ate two of his wives. Fact: There is no truth to the report. It appears to be based on an English-language article published by a Canadian satirical outlet in 2019. The pictures included in that […]