Claim: People in Pakistan can get free petrol for their cars after the discovery of a grand, new petrol reserve in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Fact: The reserve was in fact discovered in July 2021 and the specifics of the discovery differ slightly from what is claimed in the news piece. On 30 September 2021, […]
Claim: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry described Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the late Pakistani nuclear scientist, as “fake,” a “joker,” and one of the “fake heroes” of Pakistan in 2012. Fact: Chaudhry did in fact tweet that Dr Qadeer was “fake,” a “joker,” and one of the “fake heroes” of Pakistan in 2012; however, the minister […]
Claim: A video allegedly depicting Swedish artist Lars Vilks screaming from within a car at the site of a fiery crash has surfaced on social media, three days after Vilks died in a car accident in Sweden. Vilks was known for the controversy surrounding his drawings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Fact: The video is in […]
Claims: 1. The Kalash Valley is an area in Pakistan where women openly commit adultery in public 2. The Kalasha are fire-worshippers and their primary religion is the worship of fire and statues; they dance and sacrifice animals during religious festivities; their religion does not include notions of prophets or holy books 3. NGOs are […]
Claim: PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz Sharif described Prime Minister Imran Khan as her “hero” in a 2008 Twitter post Fact: The tweet in the screenshot being circulated is from 27 September 2008 but Maryam Nawaz Sharif did not join Twitter until January 2012. Therefore, the image must be doctored. On 5 October 2021, an Instagram account […]
Claim: Pakistan Army’s former spokesperson, Major General Asif Ghafoor, is seen in a helicopter with Afghan Taliban’s Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, fueling the conspiracy that Islamabad is collaborating with the militant group. Fact: The photo that purportedly shows Major General Ghafoor and Akhundzada posing together for a selfie in a helicopter was doctored; the original […]
Claim: Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the Panjshir conflict in Afghanistan. Fact: The proof posted on social media by former Indian Army officers was, in fact, a picture of Pakistani actors in a military movie. On 10 September, various former officers of the Indian Army posted updates from Afghanistan on their social media, sharing a […]
Claim: Punjab has banned TikTokers and YouTubers from entering parks. Fact: An official of the Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA) Lahore has submitted a list of recommendations to the body’s director-general suggesting that TikTokers and YouTubers be banned from entering parks. However, no such ban has been imposed yet as several approvals are required — […]
Claim: A Pakistani tabloid claims that author Fatima Bhutto demanded that Zahir Jaffer be given privileges in jail. Fact: Bhutto, in fact, criticised the Pakistani penal system for giving Zahir Jaffer privileges in jail. On 6 August, a tabloid news outlet called The Snazzy Report shared a post on Instagram that claimed author and columnist […]
Claim: A young Muslim Indian man played South Korean boy band BTS’ song ‘Dynamite’ through the Atala Mosque’s loudspeakers instead of the Azaan, the call to prayers in Islam. He was subsequently arrested and had to pay a fine. Fact: The post was created by an Indian satire and parody page on Instagram and made […]
Claim: Pakistani authorities hunted and killed a werewolf in Balochistan. However, some social media posts claim the mythical creature was found in Punjab’s Sialkot and Kashmir. Fact: Pakistani authorities did not kill a werewolf. The images being shared on social media feature an animatronic sculpture created by SFX artist Joseph-Rob Cobasky. [Content warning: Pictures in […]
Claim: Two mass Covid-19 vaccination centres in Karachi and Lahore are experiencing a shortage of the vaccine. Fact: The claim is half true, half false. Karachi’s Expo Centre has run out of stock of the CanSino Bio and Sinopharm vaccines. Only AstraZeneca and Sinovac are available, while Sinopharm is only available for those returning for […]