Claim: Punjab politician Aleem Khan announced in a tweet that he would be joining Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Fact: Aleem Khan has not announced that he is joining the PML-N. A Twitter account, with the handle @abdulaleem_1 and bearing a picture of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) dissident member Aleem Khan, posted a tweet at 9:39 PM […]
Claim: Prime Minister Imran Khan said that India’s foreign policy is better than Pakistan’s. He also said that the Indian Army is not corrupt and that it never interferes in the matters of the civilian government. Fact: While the prime minister did laud India’s foreign policy in his 20 March 2022 address, he did not […]
Claim: Posts circulating online claim that, according to cell phone data traffic analysis shared by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials, more than 0.6 million unique cell phone devices have connected with Islamabad’s BTS (Base Transceiver Station) access points. Unique devices mean mobile phones that are not usually connected with Islamabad’s towers and have “come from […]
Claim: Numerous accounts on Twitter and Facebook claimed that an aircraft belonging to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed in Mian Channu in March 2022. Fact: The claims are false. It has been confirmed by both Pakistani and Indian authorities that an unarmed supersonic missile accidentally launched by India landed in an area of Pakistan. […]
Claim: Pictures of various different fighter jets run with news of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) trainer aircraft’s crash. Fact: The pictures are not of the plane that crashed on 22 March 2022 near Peshawar. On 22 March 2022, the spokesperson of the PAF informed the media about the crash landing of a PAF trainer aircraft […]
Claim: A Facebook page posted a video with the claim that it showed a mother grieving after her infant daughter was killed by her father in Mianwali in a case that has sparked national outrage. Fact: The claim is false and misleading. The video, in fact, shows a woman crying after allegedly being harassed while […]
Claim: Usman Mirza and five others have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in Islamabad on 25 March 2022 for holding a young couple hostage at gunpoint in E-11 and sexually assaulting them. Fact: Apart from prime accused Mirza, four others — Hafiz Ataur Rehman, Adaras Qayyum Butt, Mohib Bangash and Farhan […]
Claim: A Facebook page posted a video with a headline that translated into English read, “How Islam and Pakistan were defamed in the name of Aurat March.” The video appears to depict a reporter trying to interview people but being barred from doing so by Aurat March organisers. Text on the cover image of the […]
Claim: Poultry in Sindh and Balochistan are infected with different viruses that can be transmitted to humans such as Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). Fact: No virus has been detected in poultry across Pakistan as confirmed by the Pakistan Poultry Association. Fact or Fiction? On March 14, Facebook page Balochistan TV […]
Claim: A picture shows a young woman at the Aurat March sporting a poster that, when translated from Urdu to English, says, “Khota Puli Chowk in Gujranwala should be renamed to Khoti Puli Chowk.” Fact: The text on the poster is doctored. The actual text is in Roman Urdu and translates to, “This is me, […]
Claim: The Government of Pakistan has announced a three-day public holiday across the country. Fact: The government did announce a three-day holiday from 22 March to 24 March 2022 but in Islamabad only, in connection with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. Fact or Fiction? On 10 March 2022, Express […]
Claim: Pakistan’s embassies in Europe have been ordered to divert funds to Ukraine to evacuate Pakistani nationals from the war-torn country as no Pakistanis have been evacuated so far. The embassies are in need of funds; they cannot even afford to pay salaries to their employees. Fact: The official Twitter account of Pakistan’s Embassy in […]