Claim: In a 2022 X post, Maryam Nawaz Sharif praised then-Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha by calling him an “asset” of Pakistan and criticised the “propaganda against him” by Imran Khan. Fact: Maryam Nawaz did not make a post on X praising Chattha; the screenshot showing as such is doctored. Moreover, Chattha was appointed as […]
Claim: A statement on the 2024 general elections in Pakistan issued by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union (EU) threatens “sanctions on several army generals, including the Chief of Army Staff and his top 16 officers, along with members of PMLN, MQM, and other relevant parties, including Nawaz Sharif and his associates” […]
Claim: Sher Afzal Marwat supports the call for a boycott of the 2024 general elections in Pakistan. Fact: The video of Sher Afzal Marwat is doctored using artificial intelligence (AI). In the original video that was used as a source of the deepfake, Marwat asked people to vote for the PTI’s National Assembly candidate from […]
Claim: PTI lawyer Advocate Naeem Haider Panjutha called for a boycott of the 2024 general elections in a newly-issued video statement. Fact: The audio of the clip is seemingly altered, with remarks that Panjutha did not make. In the original video, which was posted on 31 December 2023 and is over five minutes long, he […]
Claim: Google Trends predicted who would win the 2024 general election in Pakistan and that data proved that “PTI is on top”. Fact: Google Trends shows a summary of searches by people around the world; it can be narrowed down according to categories, time period, and location, among other filters. The FAQs page of Google […]
Claim: On 6 February 2024, front pages of multiple Pakistani newspapers announced Nawaz Sharif as the next prime minister, claiming he was voted in by the people’s choice. Fact: The front page is an advertisement and not a news piece. Since the 2024 general elections in Pakistan are underway, it cannot be said that Nawaz […]
Claim: The PML-N has announced its decision to boycott the 2024 general elections being held on 8 February in Pakistan. Fact: The PML-N has made no such announcement; the accounts making the claim are fake and not associated with the party. On 8 February 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user @Hasnain8082 posted (archive) a screenshot of […]
Claim: PML-N’s candidate for National Assembly from Chakwal, Major (r) Tahir Iqbal, said, “The person second to God is known as Mian Nawaz Sharif.” Fact: Major Iqbal’s remarks have been taken out of context and presented in a purposely trimmed video. Upon viewing a longer version of the clip, Iqbal in his speech praises Nawaz […]
Claim: Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) has imposed a ban on political surveys & opinion polls just ahead of general elections scheduled on 8 February 2024. Fact: ECP’s ban on political surveys is not recent. According to clause 12 of the ECP’s Code of Conduct for National Media, organisations and media persons are prohibited from entrance […]