Claim: A notification by the Ministry of Finance claims that the 5000 rupees note will be banned in Pakistan from 30 September 2023. Fact: This news is false as no such notification has been issued by the Finance division. On 7 September 2023, a notification started circulating on social media that reads, “the Federal Government […]
Claim: Capital TV ran news that the IMF has issued a “Big Statement” over the protests against the higher electricity bills across Pakistan, demanding the rich be taxed and poor be provided subsidies. Fact: The IMF has not issued any statement regarding the electricity protests in Pakistan as of now. The video in question is, […]
Claim: Anchor Fiza Riaz says a litre of petrol costs 173.9 Canadian dollars in Canada. Fact: Petrol prices in Canada are listed in cents per litre; the anchor has falsely portrayed the price as extremely high when compared to those in Pakistan. On 13 August 2023, Fiza Riaz — the host of PNN News’ morning […]
Claim: Pakistan is in the final stages of signing a billion-dollar-plus defence sale to a Middle Eastern country. Fact: The claim is false. Unlike other deals with Myanmar, Nigeria and Argentina in the past, there is no reported and verified news that a deal has been initiated, and no Middle Eastern stakeholders have formally […]
Claim: Toyota Indus Motors is set to permanently shut down manufacturing in Pakistan and leave Pakistan permanently. Fact: The claim is misleading. Public relations representatives from Toyota Indus Motors confirmed to Soch Fact Check that there are no plans to exit Pakistan. Furthermore, Toyota Indus Motors is a Pakistani company with no presence overseas, which […]
Claim: Bayer Pharmaceuticals has announced they will halt operations in Pakistan, and company assets have been sold to another business. The news was shared by X (formerly Twitter) user (@asadnasir2000) and he cited a Daily Times article titled, “Bayer pharmaceutical company announces closing business in Pakistan,” as a source. Fact: The tweet and the article […]
Claim: The economy of Pakistan has shrunk from 6.1% to 0.3%. Fact: The economy of Pakistan has not shrunk or entered a negative region but registered a comparatively lower GDP growth rate of 0.3%, as opposed to 6.1% earlier, indicating that it has experienced a slowdown. On 25 May 2023, the Express Tribune published a […]
Claim: A viral Whatsapp forward message claims that the government has passed a bill which will result in government employees receiving pensions according to their basic salary when they were recruited, instead of their last salary slip. Fact: No bill has been passed or proposed by the government that would result in a significant decrease […]
Claim: The rate of the US dollar against the Pakistani rupee (USD-PKR) fell by 18 to 20 rupees in the open market in July 2023. Fact: This claim is false. The USD-PKR rate fell by 12 rupees in the interbank market and 10.7 rupees in the open market between 3 July and 8 July 2023, […]
Claim: A video on social media shows APTMA patron-in-chief Dr Gohar Ejaz asking Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to help and save the textile industry. Fact: The claim is false because the video is not from 2023. The video was shared as early as 2017 and has been making rounds on social media ever since. On […]
Claim: Ansar Abbasi said the hike in petrol prices is a great decision and the public will now perform religious prayers instead of roaming in markets. Fact: The claim originated from a satirical tweet, which was eventually disseminated as real news. On 16 April 2023, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Shehbaz Gill retweeted a statement attributed […]
Claim: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar was in Qatar on 25 January. Fact: While Dar had flown to Doha to meet with his Qatari counterpart, he was back in the country on 25 January. On 25 January, economist and writer Yousuf Nazar tweeted that he believed Pakistan’s finance minister Ishaq Dar was […]