Claim: The Lahore District Court has issued arrest warrants for activist Leena Ghani and singer Meesha Shafi in a criminal defamation case registered under the cybercrime law by musician Ali Zafar. Zafar has accused Ghani and Shafi of running a ‘malicious campaign’ against him on social media. Fact: On 19 February 2022, the Lahore District […]
Claim: Posts circulating on Facebook claim that the station house officer (SHO) of the Civil Lines police station Muzaffargarh Mr Iftikhar Malkani arrested a couple on Valentine’s Day and forced them to get married at the police station. The posts are accompanied by an image allegedly depicting Malkani with the arrested couple, and others. Fact: […]
Claim: Three Pakistani universities issued guidelines for Valentine’s Day, directing male students to wear caps and female students to cover their heads, as well as forbidding “gender mixing”. Fact: All three universities in question have confirmed the notifications are fake. On 12 February 2022, copies of notifications allegedly issued by three Pakistani universities — Riphah […]
Claim: A Facebook page shared a post about plans to restore and renovate historic buildings in Sheikh Badin National Park, along with an image apparently depicting one such building. Fact: The image is in fact of the Great Mosque of Djenne, also known as Timbuktu Djinguereber Mosque, which is located in Mali and not in […]
Claim: Social media posts claimed that hotels in Murree started overcharging tourists during and in the aftermath of a snowstorm that enveloped the region in January. According to claims, rooms that typically cost PKR 3000 per night were being rented out for between PKR 40,000 and PKR 70,000 per night. Additionally, people were being asked […]
Claim: A website shared a story with the headline, “Do not use this medicine, it is causing kidney failure. Doctors have suggested it as dangerous.” Included in the story were remarks from a conference held in Pakistan during which the side effects of allopathic medicine were discussed. Allopathic medicine is another term for science-based, modern […]
Claim: A misleading tweet claimed that “75% Pakistanis have never read a book outside their syllabus,” citing Gallup Pakistan, a survey research and consultancy firm affiliated with Gallup International, as an official source. Fact: Gallup Pakistan did not release any survey results indicating that 75% of Pakistanis have never read a book outside their class […]
Claim: An Urdu news website published an article with a headline that translated into English reads as, “The marriage registration process has been ended across the country. A new process will be introduced.” The article stated that the changes, which consist of digitising the marriage registration process, will help root out fake marriages and fraud […]
Claim: An Urdu news website published an article with the headline, “Chances and impact of pregnancy among 20, 30, and 40 years old women. Know more in the light of expert’s research.” The article states that after 30 years of age, women experience low chances of conceiving and a high risk of complications during pregnancy. […]
Claim: The Kākāpō, a species of endangered bird found in New Zealand, can barely walk. The birds also mate with rocks. Fact: According to the Department of Conservation (New Zealand), Kākāpō can walk and climb well. They do not mate with rocks. Fact or Fiction? Kākāpō are a critically endangered species found in New Zealand. […]
Claim: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) collaborated with Government College University (GCU) Lahore to organise the Harry Potter Festival in December 2021. Fact: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) had no involvement in the Harry Potter Festival hosted by Government College University (GCU) Lahore, according to an official of the WCLA. On […]
Claim: Russian President Vladimir Putin has converted Moscow’s Cathedral Church into a Masjid (Mosque) and handed over the keys to the Grand Mufti of Russia during the inauguration ceremony of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque. Fact: The posts circulating on Facebook regarding the conversion of a “Cathedral Church into Masjid” by the Russian government are false. […]