Claim: Posts shared online criticise new Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for having photos of himself and his brother and former PM Nawaz Sharif printed on the side of a London bus as part of an ad campaign. Social media users sharing this claim are comparing it to a similar ad campaign run under the previous […]
Claim: Bol News journalist Sami Abraham posted a photo to Twitter of a Toyota Hilux Vigo parked outside his office, stating that the car had been there all night. Abraham appeared to be suggesting that a suspicious vehicle was monitoring Bol’s office. Twitter user Misal Orakzai shared the tweet, claiming that the car belonged to […]
Claim: Over 200,000 people attended a protest held in Karachi on 11 April 2022, following former prime minister Imran Khan’s removal from office. Fact: In addition to sourcing comments from on-the-ground witnesses, Soch Fact Check used tools such as Map Checking to investigate the claim. Our most liberal estimate suggests that just over 100,000 people […]
Claim: An image of a man wearing a PTI scarf and holding a weapon at what appears to be a political gathering is being shared on social media with a caption imploring people not to bring weapons to political rallies. The image began to circulate on 25 May 2022, after PTI workers and supporters began […]
Claim: Social media posts claim that on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, which was celebrated in Pakistan from 3-5 May 2022, the government increased the monthly cash disbursement payable to eligible families under the Ehsaas Kafalat program from PKR 14,000 to PKR 36,000. Fact: The claim is false. The government has not issued an announcement relating […]
Claim: A tweet attributed to American security analyst Rebecca L Grant states that America intervened in Pakistan’s internal politics “for remaining neutral” in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The tweet also claims that Grant has proof to back up her claims and that Pakistani journalists are not telling the truth about the regime change in Pakistan. Fact: […]
Claim: A video is circulating that claims to show that Pakistani religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel’s clothing store sells ‘western’ clothes. Fact: Maulana Tariq Jameel’s store outlet does not sell ‘western’ clothes. The shop that can be seen in the video is next to an outlet of the scholar’s clothing brand. On 28th April 2022, […]
Claim: A video shows Captain Bilal Zafar Abbasi hugging his son before leaving to fight in a battle during which he was killed in 2009. Fact: The clip does not show Captain Bilal Zafar Abbasi or, for that matter, Captain Dr Bilal Khali, both of whom were killed in battle. Voice of America journalist Benazir […]
Claim: A viral video shows Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other members of the government inside the Masjid Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia, with onlookers chanting the slogans, “Jiye Bhutto [Long live Bhutto]” and “Wazir-e-Azam Zindabad [Long live the prime minister].” Fact: Onlookers did not chant, ‘Jiye Bhutto’ during Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to Medina. The […]
Claim: A photograph circulating online allegedly shows Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Khan, and a man labeled as Mrs. Khan’s ex-husband Khawar Maneka, performing Umrah at the Masjid al-Haram, the mosque that surrounds the Kaaba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, at the state’s expense. Fact: The man in the photograph walking next to Imran Khan is […]
Claim: An image of Rajput ruler Raja Puran Mal and Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir is being shared with the claim that the former defeated the latter “thrice in a row” and that the latter “was so afraid” of the former “that he never met him in the battlefield”. Fact: The claim is factually incorrect as […]
Claim: The New York Herald published a cartoon hinting at the United States’ alleged intervention in support of the no-confidence motion through which Imran Khan was removed from power. The cartoon shows Uncle Sam patting a Pakistani judge on the head. Fact: The cartoon has been doctored. The original image was created by Brazilian artist […]