Claim: A viral message warns Pakistani people against conducting any online transactions as ATMs will remain closed for the next two to three days after a ransomware cyberattack in the country. It advises people not to open a video clip called the “Dance of the Hillary,” which is a virus that wipes one’s mobile phone […]
Claim: A video shows Ali Amin Gandapur, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), apologising for the violent protests that erupted on 9 May 2023 following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Fact: The video is misleading as it was altered to give a false impression. […]
Claim: Former United States President Donald Trump during a campaign speech said that Afghan women have been wearing veils for years and if he was a woman, he would do it too. Fact: The video is from Trump’s 2015 election campaign speech in New Hampshire. While he discussed women from the Middle East, he made […]
Claim: Hamas operatives killed an Israeli woman, cut open her stomach, and took the fetus out to die slowly. Fact: The government of Israel has publicly shared a comprehensive list of all children, men and women killed on 7 October 2023, Soch Fact Check did not find any mention of a pregnant woman whose stomach […]
Claim: A photograph shows Bangladeshi student protesters waving the Pakistani flag after Hasina Wajid’s resignation as prime minister in August 2024. Fact: The image shows protesters waving the Pakistani flag, alongside the Bangladeshi and Palestinian flags, at the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. This image was taken at a pro-Palestine protest in 2023. On […]
Claim: A video shared on social media shows Bangladeshi Muslims chanting pro-Pakistan slogans in a rally. Fact: The claim is false on three accounts: The caption is unrelated to the video, as the video does not show people raising pro-Pakistan slogans. The slogans that can be heard in the video claim are against Bangladesh’s former […]
Claim: India’s Zindagi channel apologised to its viewers for the TV series “Barzakh” and took down all of the show’s episodes from YouTube. Fact: The channel did not issue any apology for producing “Barzakh” and only took down the episodes from YouTube Pakistan. The TV series can still be watched around the world. On 6 […]
Claim: A video shows a group of Pakistani Muslims brutally beating a Christian man in Pakistan. Fact: The clip is not from Pakistan but is actually from India. The incident took place in August 2022 in Koral, an area of Bhopal, India when a group of students flogged a younger student over a dispute. On […]
Claim: A picture shows the alleged Belgian woman who was sexually assaulted in Islamabad, Pakistan Fact: The picture is not of the alleged victim but shows Czech Republic model Tereza Hluskova in court after she was sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling drugs in 2019. On 19 August 2024, a Threads account News […]
Claim: South Korean car manufacturer Kia has launched a vehicle named “Khan” to honour Imran Khan. Fact: The claim is false. The vehicle in question is not manufactured by Kia but by KG Mobility, also a South Korean company, which has confirmed that the SUV’s name is a reference to the Mongol Empire, not Imran […]
Claim: The Democratic National Convention had a low turnout and scattered crowds on night one. Fact: The clip showed the start of the convention when people were still arriving and the crowd was still filling in. Clips from later that night show a full arena. On 19 August 2024, X (formerly Twitter) account Clandestine posted […]
Claim: Pictures show overloaded clouds that fell to the ground in Mithi in Sindh’s Tharparkar. Fact: The claim is false as it is scientifically impossible for clouds to fall on the ground. Multiple experts have explained that the white blobs are likely some kind of industrial waste, wastewater with chemicals or just pollution, meaning that […]
Claim: During the Democratic National Convention, presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s home state of California passed instead of voting to confirm her as the party’s official nominee for the presidential election. Fact: It is tradition for home states to pass their turn and instead vote to confirm at the end of the roll call. Additionally, Harris […]
Claim: Lt. General (retired) Moazzam Ejaz has been appointed as the new chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Pakistan. Fact: The claim is misleading; Ejaz was not appointed as chairman of the HEC, but as the Chairperson of the National Technology Council (NTC). On 6 August 2024, a Facebook page Verified Pakistan posted […]
Claim: A video shows scenes from the 2024 Notting Hill Carnival where eight people were stabbed. Fact: The video is from September 2022 when hundreds of people were caught in a crush on Ladbroke Grove during the Notting Hill Carnival of that year. On 26 August, X user @visegrad24 posted (archive) a video apparently showing […]
Claim: An image shows a Greek-flagged cargo ship attacked by Houthi rebels on 22 August. Fact: The image shows an attack by Houthi rebels on Chios Lion, the Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker, that was carried out in July 2024. On 24 August, X (formerly Twitter) user @aforizmrus posted a picture (archive) apparently showing a Greek-flagged […]
Claim: The UK government is preparing to deploy asylum seekers across the country, prioritising immigrants over Britons when it comes to finding housing. Fact: The UK government is not prioritising immigrants over Britons in social housing allocation. X account @EuropeInvasionn shared a photo (archive) of the UK Prime Minister with the caption: “🚨BREAKING UK government […]
Claim: An image shows a temple submerged in Bangladesh amid floods that were caused after India opened its dam gates. Fact: The claim is false as the image does not show a temple in Bangladesh. The photo depicts the Kapil Muni Temple, located in the Indian State of West Bengal, which shares a border with […]
Claim: Natasha Danish, identified as the driver of the SUV involved in the fatal Karsaz incident that resulted in two deaths, has reportedly left the country. Fact: Natasha has been sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand and has not left the country. On Tuesday, 20 August 2024, a woman driving an SUV, […]
Claim: The Economist digitally removed a flag of Palestine from its August 2024 cover story on the protests over government jobs quotas in Bangladesh. Fact: The claim is false. The Economist neither altered the image nor did it use artificial intelligence (AI) to remove the Palestinian flag. The magazine appears to have chosen another picture […]
Claim: A viral video shows a man walking into an elevator with an e-bike battery, which almost instantly bursts into flames, causing an explosion inside the lift. In the latter half of the video, the same man can be seen being dragged out of the elevator, unconscious and almost completely covered with burn marks. Fact: […]
Claim: The Pakistan Students Federation has demanded Imran Khan’s release by 30 August and warned of protests if their demand is not met. Fact: The Pakistan Students Federation does not exist. The warning actually came from the Insaf Students Federation. On 8 August, the Instagram account @theverified.pk posted a photo with the caption: “Pakistan Students […]
Claim: A viral video shows a large crowd gathered on Mount Everest for Kamala Harris’ rally. Fact: The video is AI-generated. On 15 August, X (formerly Twitter) user @Alphafox78 shared a video (archive) showing a huge crowd, some holding banners, apparently at a rally on Mount Everest that was hosted by Harris. The caption added, […]
Claim: Protesters burn the Indian flag in Dhaka, Bangladesh, while holding India responsible for recent floods in the country. Fact: The image is from 2009 when Muslims in Srinagar, in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, burned the flag to celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day. On 24 August, Threads user @farjana_afrin_tanha claimed (archive), “BREAKING: Indian flag burned […]
Claim: Federal Urdu University awarded Arshad Nadeem with Rs2,000. Fact: Foundation Public School awarded Arshad Nadeem with Rs2,000,000 in September 2023. On 15 August 2024, Soch Fact Check received a photograph via WhatsApp showing Arshad Nadeem receiving a cheque for Rs2,000 from Federal Urdu University. This claim appears to have originated from a photograph (archive) […]
Claim: Arshad Nadeem hugged Maryam Nawaz when she visited the athlete’s residence to congratulate him on his victory in the 2024 Olympics. Fact: A video purportedly showing Nadeem hugging Maryam Nawaz is doctored. A video shared on Facebook shows Olympic javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem hugging PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz. The clip has since been shared across […]
Claim: A video shows Bangladesh’s defence minister and its former army chief hung on a bridge amid the student-led protests in August 2024. Fact: The clip does not show Bangladesh’s defence minister and its former army chief, but two unidentified individuals in the Baipayl area of its capital Dhaka. In fact, the defence ministry portfolio […]
Claim: Natasha Danish Iqbal, who is responsible for the accident on Karsaz Road, is on the board of directors of Metro Power Group. Fact: The culprit in the Karsaz road accident is not on Metro Power Group’s board of directors. Following the accident on Karsaz road in Karachi on 19 August, a user shared a […]
Claim: A picture shows Kamala Harris and Jeffrey Epstein posing together. Fact: The image is doctored. It actually shows Harris with her husband, Douglas Emhoff. On 22 July 2024, Facebook user ‘April Lynn’ posted (archive) a visual containing a photo allegedly showing US Vice President Kamala Harris and the late Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire financier […]
Claim: A video shows former prime minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia after being released from house arrest. Fact: The video is misleading. It is actually from January 2024 when Khaleda Zia was hospitalised after being sick. It shows her going back home after being discharged from hospital. On 6 August 2024, Pakistani journalist Anwar Lodhi […]