Claim: The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) has launched a programme in collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service for Pakistani students to get the chance to study at universities in Germany on scholarship.
Fact: The DAAD’s Islamabad office has said they do not “have any ongoing collaboration linked to the PMY Programme” at present.
On 3 July 2023, the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) posted a tweet (archive), urging the students of Pakistan to “apply now for the #GermanUniversity Fully-Funded Scholarships”. The caption is reproduced as follows:
“Attention all Pakistani Students! Transform your dreams into reality and shape your destiny. Apply now for the #GermanUniversity Fully-Funded Scholarships and unlock a world of possibilities! Click on the link and Apply now”
The link provided in the tweet leads to a form for the “Application for Research Grants and Study Scholarships” by the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD, or German Academic Exchange Service in English).
The poster included in the tweet mentions the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme on the top and includes the PMYP’s social media accounts.
The PMYP is an initiative launched in 2013 by Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and aims to “provide quality education, decent employment, meaningful engagement, and foster a deep respect for the environment among the youth through integrated, dynamic, and sustainable youth-centred initiatives”, according to its website.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check found that multiple people flagged the tweet, saying (archive) neither the Government of Pakistan funds the DAAD programme, nor does it “play any role in sending Pakistani students to Germany on @DAAD_Germany exchanges”.
Another user pointed out (archive) that the PMYP was “advertising @DAAD_Germany scholarship as their own initiative”, while a third tagged (archive) the German programme’s official Twitter handle, asking for confirmation as to who “finances this scholarship”.
Soch Fact Check consequently reached out to the DAAD Press Office, where spokesperson Michael Flacke referred us to their Islamabad office.
The DAAD’s Islamabad office subsequently provided a response, saying, “Currently we do not have any ongoing collaboration linked to the PMY Programme.”
The implication by the PMYP that the Government of Pakistan has an ongoing collaboration with the DAAD, therefore, is false.
Virality
The PMYP tweet has been viewed more than 130,000 times and has received 32 comments, 153 reposts, and 402 likes, as of writing time.
Conclusion: The DAAD’s Islamabad office has said they do not “have any ongoing collaboration linked to the PMY Programme” at present.
To submit an appeal on our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com