Claim: The ruling PTI has asked Iftikhar Ahmed Lund, former central vice president of its Sindh chapter, to keep his “iron rod” ready for July 23 by-polls in the province’s Ghotki constituency. Fact: The story, while true, is from 2019 when by-polls were scheduled to take place in Sindh’s Ghotki constituency. On 17 January 2022, […]
Claim: A video shows Indian Hindu men harassing young burqa-clad female students by throwing water on them as they make their way to class. Fact: The video is from a university in Sri Lanka where senior students can be seen ‘ragging’ first-year students. On 10 February 2022, Pakistani columnist Orya Maqbool Jan shared a video […]
Claim: TransPeshawar BRT, the bus rapid transit system in Peshawar, won the Sustainable Transport Award (STA) 2022. Fact: TransPeshawar or Peshawar BRT won the second “Honourable Mention” at the 2022 Sustainable Transport Awards. The first place award was, in fact, won by Bogotá, Columbia, in recognition of the city’s implementation of several sustainable mobility initiatives. […]
Claim: A video is being circulated with the claim that it shows an elderly woman, Naseem, protesting outside the Lahore Press Club following the disappearance of her daughter, who has been missing for four days. Fact: The clip does show Naseem but it is not recent. The video is from January 2021; it is being […]
Claim: Bill Gates has called for the withdrawal of COVID-19 vaccines after admitting that the pandemic was “a farce”. Fact: Bill Gates did not call for a withdrawal of COVID-19 vaccines nor did he make the other statements attributed to him in the viral WhatsApp chain message. The message is false as it is based […]
Claim: Lahore is now the centre of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Pakistan. Fact: Lahore’s COVID-19 positivity rate is lower than some other Pakistani cities such as Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Hyderabad and Islamabad, as of 21 January 2022. It may, however, have the highest positivity rate of cities within the province of Punjab. On 21 January […]
Claim: The Government of Punjab has made it mandatory for boys and girls to wear caps and scarves, respectively, in schools across the province. Fact: Schoolchildren will only be required to wear caps and scarves when attending the classes reserved for Quran recitation and teaching. On 17 January 2022, journalist Hasan Zaidi, Dawn’s editor for […]
Claim: Pakistan has banned indoor dining to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic’s fifth wave. Fact: On 19 January 2022, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) banned indoor gatherings, weddings, and dining, but only in districts and cities with a COVID-19 positivity rate over 10%. Fact or Fiction? On 21 January 2022, Facebook page FHM Pakistan […]
Claim: A scenic motorway-bridge high in the mountains was built under the leadership of PML-N supremo and former prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. Fact: The motorway-bridge is located in Austria, not Pakistan, and has no connection to Sharif. On 1 January 2022, Facebook user ‘Hayat Yusofzai’ posted an image showing a motorway passing through […]
Claim: A video doing the rounds on social media depicts the Taliban destroying mobile phones in Afghanistan. Fact: The video is not of the Taliban destroying mobile phones in Afghanistan but of Pakistan Customs’ officers destroying smuggled and contraband goods at a destruction ceremony in Karachi. Fact or Fiction: On 13 January 2022, Facebook page […]
Claim: The Government of Sindh has ordered the closure of schools across the province and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has suggested imposing a lockdown due to the concerning COVID-19 situation. Fact: The chief minister said the decision to impose a lockdown and close schools would be taken in line with National Command and Operation […]
Claim: A video circulating on social media allegedly depicts an excavator crane crashing into a ditch while carrying out relief work in Murree following a disastrous road blockage that left 22 dead. Fact: The video does show a crane overturning and slipping into a ditch, but it is from 2020 and was not taken in […]