Claim: An image circulated on WhatsApp and social media shows a stark contrast between a well-developed school in Larkana, Sindh in 1873 and a dilapidated structure in 2017. The claim suggests that the region has regressed since British rule. Fact: The image purportedly from 1873 is not of a school in Larkana but of the […]
Claim: A video shows a fake Kaaba in Tehran, Iran, where people are forced to perform Hajj. Fact: The claim is misleading because the 2023 video shows Iranian authorities conducting training sessions on Hajj rituals for pilgrims to avoid mishaps during the annual pilgrimage. On 29 May 2024, a Facebook user Hazrat Khubaib posted a […]
Claim: A female American soldier is looking to connect with people online on Threads. Fact: The image of the female American soldier is AI-generated. On 12 May 2024, a Threads account shared an image of an American female soldier with the caption: “Hello, Lets chat on Instagram”. Receiving more than 17,800 views and hundreds of […]
Claim: A stone tablet depicting a man in front of a computer proves technology existed in “ancient times”. Fact: The stone tablet is not authentic but an artwork created by Mexico-based illustrator, Raul Cruz. On 14 May 2024, Threads user @ishowcybersecurity posted (archive) an image of what appears to be a stone tablet depicting a […]
Claim: A video on X shows the District Municipal Corporation (DMC) administrator and his team falling into Karachi’s Gujjar Nullah while cleaning the area. Fact: The claim is false as the video is not from Karachi but from India and shows the then Mayor of Panaji Surendra Furtado, along with others, as their boat capsized […]
Claim: Venus Williams forfeited a tennis match against a transgender woman. Fact: No credible reports confirm this allegation. The claim originated on social media platforms in late 2023 and resurfaced in April 2024. However, our investigation reveals it to be entirely false and based on a parody article published by the satire website Conservative Tears. […]
Claim: New technology allows hackers to extract fingerprints from photographs posted online where a person’s fingertips are visible, when making a peace sign, for example. These biometric details can then be used to hack into someone’s phone or commit a range of cybercrimes, including bypassing authentication processes and hacking into banking accounts. A good way […]
Claim: Salman Rushdie said Muslims’ “only goal is to destroy the whole nation by terrorism, bomb blasts, population explosion, riots and jihad in the name of Islam”. Fact: Rushdie has not made such a comment; in fact, he has denied ever having said this multiple times. On 15 April 2024, Facebook user ‘Eddie Hinman’ posted […]
Claim: A video on social media shows a 9-year-old Hindu girl, Reshma, who was forcibly abducted and taken to a Sufi shrine, where she was converted to Islam and married to a 45-year-old Muslim man from Jacobabad named Wazir Hussain. Fact: The claim is false as the video is from 2019 and shows a girl […]
Claim: A foreigner and five Pakistanis were held hostage and robbed on their way to Taxila. Fact: A group of eight people, not six, were robbed on their way back from a hiking trail in Shah Allah Ditta; they were not en route to Taxila. On 8 April 2024, Dawn and Express Tribune published articles […]
Claim: A video from the Pamir mountain range in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan shows a child playing with a white tiger she raised from birth. Fact: The video in question is AI-generated and does not depict a real scenario. A video allegedly showing an Afghan child playing with a tiger cub has been […]
Claim: The government has announced Eid ul Fitr holidays from 9 April to 13 April 2024. Fact: The Ministry of Interior officially refuted these notifications on 31 March, declaring them fake. Moreover, an official notification published on the Cabinet Secretariat division’s website on 4 April states that Eid holidays are from 10 to 13 April […]