Sameen Aziz

Sameen Aziz is a senior fact-checker at Soch Fact Check. She is also part of the training network by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA-Asia) and Google News Initiative for digital investigations and media literacy program, providing trainings to students and journalists in Pakistan. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Salzburg Global, and Lok Sujag. Sameen holds a master's degree in media and communication studies from International Islamic University, Islamabad, with research on media framing and misinformation around COVID-19, and a bachelor's degree in mass communication from G.C. University, Faisalabad.

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Claim: A notification shared on social media claims “due to torrential rains, Sindh government declares Thursday 18 August as public holiday throughout Karachi and Hyderabad division”. Fact: The claim is false. The Sindh government did not announce a public holiday on Thursday 18 August across Karachi and Hyderabad. All government and private offices are open […]

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Claim: A screengrab of a news bulletin tweeted by Shireen Mazari claims that “Imran Khan’s victory in Pakistan’s elections will be India’s loss”. In the caption of her tweet, Mazari also claims that the US and India fear Khan and that the US is behind the regime change in Pakistan. Fact: The claim is misleading […]

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Claim: A social media user shared a video of a helicopter burning with a caption that claims “the General of the Quetta Corps was killed in a helicopter crash along with five of his senior officers.” Fact: The post is misleading as the video is from 2020 in Syria, not from the recent helicopter crash […]

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Claim: Social media posts claim that the rate of the US Dollar against the Pakistani Rupee (USD-PKR) suddenly dove to PKR 207 on 28 July 2022, after hovering around PKR 240. Fact: The claim is false. A glitch in the Google Currency Converter temporarily showed the rate as one USD to PKR 207.10, but the […]

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Claim: An image shared on Twitter depicts three individuals who died in the July 2022 flash floods in Balochistan. Fact: The image is old and was first reported in 2019 when Balochistan was hit by monsoon floods. On 29 July 2022, Twitter user and writer Khadim Hussain shared an image with a caption; “The heart-wrenching […]

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Claim: A video shared on social media shows pilgrims criticising the current Pakistan government for providing “terrible” lodging facilities during Hajj 2022 in Saudi Arabia. Fact: The video is, in fact, from August 2019 and shows pilgrims criticising the government at the time for providing inadequate lodging facilities. On 1 July 2022,  Facebook user Raja […]

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Claim: A viral video shows people celebrating in Sialkot after the Pakistan Supreme Court announced on 26 July 2022 that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Pervez Elahi would be the new Chief Minister of Punjab. Fact: The video surfaced on social media in January 2022 and depicts new year celebrations in Sialkot. The video is not […]

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Claim: A video circulating on social media shows a large fire that broke out at a Pakistani power plant near Guddu, Sindh in July 2022. Fact: The video has been making rounds on social media since 2021 and in fact depicts a fire that broke out by Afghanistan’s largest trade crossing with Iran. On 15 […]

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Claim: A video circulating on social media shows sheep and cattle lying dead in muddy water following heavy rain and flooding in Quetta, Balochistan in July 2022. Fact: The video is, in fact, from 2020 and shows the aftermath of deadly floods in northern Saudi Arabia. On 5 July 2022, a video was shared on […]

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Claim: A video shared on social media shows people crying in the aftermath of an earthquake that struck Afghanistan in June 2022. Fact: The video was shared by multiple media outlets in 2021 and shows the Taliban celebrating after the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. On 23 June 2022, a video was shared […]

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Claim: An image circulating on Facebook allegedly depicts limestone rocks located near Astola Island, a small island in Balochistan, Pakistan. Fact: The claim is false. The image is from Cabo San Lucas, a resort city at the southern tip of Mexico, where limestone rocks known as “El Arco” have formed over time as a result […]

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Claim: A video shared on social media shows motorcycles slipping and toppling over on a flyover in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai due to the monsoon rain. Fact: The video was taken in Karachi, Pakistan, not Navi Mumbai, and shows motorcycles slipping and toppling over on Rashid Minhas road — near the Millenium Mall — following a […]

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