Claim: A video shows former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide, Shahbaz Gill, meeting his children while in detention following his arrest last week. Fact: The video does not show Shahbaz Gill or his children but about a couple of children who allegedly ran away from home due to an abusive father. On 13 August 2022, […]
Claim: An image of a female dancer in front of a portrait of Quaid e Azam is from the official national day celebrations held at the Jinnah Convention Center, Islamabad Fact: The viral image is from 2018. At the official national celebration this year, the stage was different from the one shown in the photograph […]
Claim: An image of PML-N head Nawaz Sharif watching something on his phone is being shared with captions that imply he was watching Imran Khan’s August 13 political rally. Fact: The politician was watching his daughter’s political rally from July; the image was posted to Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Twitter last month. On August 14 2022, […]
Claim: Al Jazeera reported “Pakistan provides air corridor for US military flights to and from Afghanistan”. Fact: Al Jazeera did not confirm the news. The Al Jazeera logo and headline have been doctored onto the image to make it look like a screenshot from Al Jazeera TV. On 2 August 2022, US President Joe Biden […]
Claim: A picture shows former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed lying in a hospital bed after it was claimed he checked in there to “hide” from the consequences of his past actions. Fact: The picture is not recent and is, in fact, from 2019, when Sheikh Rashid was admitted to a hospital after experiencing pain […]
Claim: A screengrab of a news bulletin tweeted by Shireen Mazari claims that “Imran Khan’s victory in Pakistan’s elections will be India’s loss”. In the caption of her tweet, Mazari also claims that the US and India fear Khan and that the US is behind the regime change in Pakistan. Fact: The claim is misleading […]
Claim: Social media users, especially those aligned with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), allege that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide, Shahbaz Gill, and his driver were beaten by police while being arrested in Islamabad on 9 August 2020. Fact: CCTV footage of the arrest shows Shahbaz Gill was shifted to another vehicle peacefully and not tortured; […]
Claim: A clip on Facebook, with a thumbnail that includes images of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, shows how intelligence agencies spy on citizens. Fact: The thumbnail of the Facebook video is misleading; the clip is, in fact, from the 2015 film ‘Eye in the Sky’ […]
Claim: Caryn E Gifford, a level 2 policy advisor to American diplomat David Blome, posted a tweet confirming that a US tactical drone accidentally hit a Pakistan Army helicopter in Balochistan’s Lasbela, resulting in multiple fatalities. Fact: The US embassy has not issued any statement regarding the recent Pakistan Army helicopter accident in Lasbela, Balochistan. […]
Claim: A photo being shared on social media shows Russian President Vladimir Putin watching the news of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) victory in the recent by-elections in Punjab, Pakistan. Fact: The photo doing the rounds on social media is doctored. It is actually from 26 January 2022 when Putin held a meeting with […]
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: 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 […]