Claim: A video shows gunmen opening fire at a crowd in the Pul-e-Khumri area of Afghanistan, reportedly killing 51 people over a dispute about a donkey. Fact: The video is from an 8 September 2022 incident, when two groups in Karachi, Pakistan clashed over a money dispute. Fact or Fiction? On 15 September 2022, Daily […]
Claim: A social media video shows a gunman attacking a family on the roadside in Karachi, Pakistan. Fact: The video is not from Pakistan but from a shooting in Ecuador in May 2022. On 10 September 2022, a Twitter user shared a video with an Urdu caption that, when translated to English, reads, “Blind shooting […]
Claim: Mohenjo-Daro will likely be removed from the list of World Heritage sites. Fact: Mohenjo-Daro was never under consideration for removal, and UNESCO has directed $350,000 to the recovery and restoration of heritage sites in Pakistan in the aftermath of the flood. On 4 September 2022, a Facebook post claimed that Mohenjo-Daro will likely be […]
Claim: An Express News bulletin quoting a purported FBR notification claimed the federal government exempted all taxes on the import of bulletproof vehicles for high-ranking military generals. Fact: According to the FBR, no such notification has been formally issued yet, although the tax exemption is indeed under the Prime Minister’s consideration. Since the policy hasn’t […]
Claim: 28-year-old Pakistani cricketer Usman Khan Shinwari has passed away from a heart attack while playing a cricket match. Fact: Usman Khan Shinwari did not pass away. His 46-year-old namesake, Usman Shinwari, passed away from a heart attack while playing a Corporate League match in Lahore. Fact or Fiction? On 25 September 2022, club cricketer […]
Claim: BISP accounts designated for receiving flood relief donations have been hacked. Fact: BISP officially clarified that none of their accounts were hacked. No reports claiming recipients have suffered such fraud have surfaced. On 19 September 2022, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly and member of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Qasim Khan Suri […]
Claim: A video of a grand birthday party that had gone viral on social media is from Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari’s son’s birthday. Fact: The video is not from Zardari’s son’s birthday but from a birthday in Sialkot. It went viral on social media before the wrongly attributed claim as social media users shared it, commenting […]
Claim: A picture of a woman and a minor boy is shared with a caption that implies they are affected by the recent devastating floods in Pakistan. Fact: The woman and child are Rohingya refugees, who were photographed by Mohammad Ponir Hossain on 1 October 2017. On 31 August 2022, a Twitter user posted an […]
Claim: A viral image appearing to be a news update claimed PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said, “I do not wish to maintain political ties with Imran Khan” Fact: Shahbaz Gill did not make such an announcement. He remains a senior PTI leader and close ally of Imran Khan. The image is doctored. On 17 September […]
Claim: An image shows the wreckage of a Pakistan Army helicopter that crashed near Khost in the Harnai district of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. Fact: The photo has no relation to the 26 September crash but is from a separate incident in 2021. On 26 September 2022, the Facebook page ‘Quetta Time’ posted an image […]
Claim: A law to legalise same-sex marriage is set to be passed in Pakistan under the guise of a transgender act as part of efforts by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which obtain funds from gay and lesbian communities abroad. The claim further adds that “educated khawajasira” do not support the proposed law and that they acknowledge […]
Claim: A screenshot of Afghan cricket player Farid Malik apologising after for a recent on-field feud with Pakistan’s Asif Ali was widely shared on social media Fact: The Twitter account purportedly representing Farid Malik is fake, and neither player has issued an apology for the verbal spat, which turned violent. Pakistan’s cricket team faced off […]