Claim: Startup Pakistan shared a post claiming that the Pakistani government is selling a 100% stake in several state-owned companies, namely Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan State Oil, Sui Southern Gas Company, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, Oil & Gas Development Company, and Pakistan Petroleum. An article linked in the post further states that the government repealed […]
Claim: An image shared on Twitter depicts three individuals who died in the July 2022 flash floods in Balochistan. Fact: The image is old and was first reported in 2019 when Balochistan was hit by monsoon floods. On 29 July 2022, Twitter user and writer Khadim Hussain shared an image with a caption; “The heart-wrenching […]
Claim: A video shows passengers in a moving car that was inundated with water during the recent bout of heavy rainfall in Karachi. Fact: The video is, in fact, not recent; it surfaced back in 2020 when a similar monsoon season lashed Karachi. On 7 July 2022, Facebook page ‘Bilawal Zardari’ shared a video claiming […]
Claim: Pakistani television host Imran Riaz Khan claims Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah is posing for photographs to make it seem like the provincial government is engaged in relief work during the 2022 Karachi rains. Khan posted a picture on Twitter showing Shah standing in waist-deep flood water. Fact: The picture of Shah […]
Claim: According to a tweet by defense analyst Davis Jackman, the head of the CIA told US President Joe Biden that former Prime Minister Imran Khan will likely win the upcoming general elections in Pakistan with two-thirds majority. Fact: The claim is false. There is no publicly available evidence to suggest the head of the […]
Claim: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was not given the same welcome by Turkey during his visit in 2022 as his predecessor, Imran Khan, who was received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sharif was welcomed by the Turkish Minister of Local Government instead. Fact: The picture depicting Khan shaking hands with Erdogan is, in fact, […]
Claim: PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif was severely upset at the recent Supreme Court decision and announced a political split from PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari. Fact: Several viral Facebook posts doctored videos of Nawaz Sharif’s address at the Asma Jahangir Conference 2021, his speech at a political rally in Lahore from 13 December 2020 and […]
Claim: Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has publicly endorsed a “soft intervention” in the country by the Pakistan Army and has said that if a soft intervention can lead to any sort of benefit to the country, then he is ready to accept it. Fact: Capital TV spread a false headline claiming that Prime […]
Claim: Journalist Imran Riaz Khan is collecting donations online to help disabled people in Pakistan. Fact: Imran Riaz Khan’s Twitter account was hacked and a PayPal scam was shared through a tweet. The journalist uploaded a video warning people not to interact with his account or make any donations. On 30 July 2022, journalist Imran […]
Claim: A viral image shows a young girl who drowned in Balochistan during the recent monsoon flooding in Pakistan. Fact: The viral image is of a girl who drowned in River Kabul, Peshawar and was found by rescue services near Attock. On 27 July 2022, an image of an infant’s dead body went viral on […]
Claim: A picture shows people stranded due to heavy monsoon flooding in Punjab in July 2022. Fact: The picture is misleading as it is not recent. It was taken on 23 July 2015 in Rajanpur. On 27 July 2022, Twitter user @shahzadShafi007 posted a picture showing people displaced by floods taking refuge on a charpoy […]
Claim: A video shared on social media shows pilgrims criticising the current Pakistan government for providing “terrible” lodging facilities during Hajj 2022 in Saudi Arabia. Fact: The video is, in fact, from August 2019 and shows pilgrims criticising the government at the time for providing inadequate lodging facilities. On 1 July 2022, Facebook user Raja […]