Claim: Several popular social media pages shared variations of the claim that said, according to a US study, “You will die seven years earlier if you live In Lahore for one year”. The study referenced is the Air Quality Life Index’s (AQLI) fact sheet for Pakistan, which was published in 2023 and developed by the […]
Claim: An image shows a funeral procession of people killed in the Parachinar attacks in November 2024. Fact: The image is from December 2009 and shows Shia Muslims carrying mock coffins during a mourning procession observed during the Islamic month of Muharram. On 22 November, the National Commission for Human Rights, a federal statutory body, […]
Claim: A video shows Nawaz Sharif belittling Khawaja Asif during a press conference. Fact: Nawaz Sharif did not mock Khawaja Asif or the recent attempt of an attack on him. The posts show only a part of his statement from a longer recording of a press conference, and share it in a false context. In […]
Claim: A video circulating online shows US President Donald Trump speaking in Urdu, pledging to act against the Pakistan Democratic Movement. Fact: The video is doctored. Deepware and audio analyses revealed manipulated audio frequencies and deepfake characteristics. Following Trump’s victory in the 2024 US Presidential election, X user @Tabii_DxB shared a clip (archive) of Trump […]
Claim: An image shows a child who was killed in recent deadly incidents of sectarian violence in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Fact: The picture has no connection to sectarian violence in Kurram which erupted in November 2024. The image is from November 2016 when the US and Afghan forces carried out an operation against the Taliban’s […]
Claim: A picture showing a protester who was allegedly pushed off a stack of containers while reportedly praying during the PTI’s November protests is AI-generated. Fact: The picture is real and was not generated using AI. The authentic image, as well as another photo taken shortly afterwards of the protester trying to hang on before […]
Claim: 50% of Muslims and 70% of Pakistanis in the UK are inbred, and the majority of disabled children in the UK are born to Muslim parents. Fact: There is no publicly available data on the proportion of Muslims and Pakistanis that are “inbred” or were a result of a consanguineous marriage. Data on […]
Claim: A video shows PTI protesters swimming across a river to reach Islamabad amid road blockades. Fact: The video was first shared online on 1 September 2023, disproving the claim that PTI protesters swam across a river to attend the 24 November 2024 protest at D-Chowk. On 25 November, the Instagram account Dialogue Pakistan, which […]
Claim: A video shows journalist Matiullah Jan in an army cadet’s uniform being stripped of his rank and discharged from the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) due to poor character. Fact: The video does not show Matiullah Jan’s expulsion from the PMA. It is actually a digitally manipulated clip from Hum TV’s drama serial ‘Ehd-e-Wafa,’ with […]
Claim: A widely shared video shows a young victim of the recent violence in Parachinar in the Kurram District. Fact: While the violence in Kurram, which began on 21 November 2024, has claimed over 80 lives—including women and children—and injured more than 100, this specific video is not from Pakistan and predates the recent episode […]
Claim: Video shows Maulana Fazl ur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), urging his party members to reach Islamabad and support Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s protestors in October 2024. Fact: The video of Rehman is from a press conference held in March 2022 and has no connection to either of PTI’s major rallies from October […]
Claim: Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir got up from his seat to touch the knees of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman out of respect, according to a viral video Fact: The video is AI-generated and a real picture was likely animated to create the clip. AI and manipulation detection tools also indicated the […]