Claim: Visuals show the aftermath of an operation by authorities against protesters of the PTI in Islamabad. Four of these images show bloodied roads, while the other two likely resemble scenes of a bombing. Fact: All six images are AI-generated, as identified by multiple tell-tale markers. The visuals in question also do not accurately show […]
Claim: Donald Trump said, “I’ve learnt a lot from Imran Khan, his Islamic style, and his independent policy. He is not only the leader of Pakistanis but he is also my leader.” Fact: Trump has never made any such remarks. On 11 November 2024, Facebook page ‘تحریک انصاف’ posted (archive) a reel with the following […]
Claim: Protesters tear down Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posters after his alleged death. Fact: The viral video is from protests in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police (Gasht-e Ershad) On 18 November 2024, a user on X posted a video (archive) of Iranian protesters scaling a building and […]
Claim: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is in a coma and close to death. Some speculate that he has died. Fact: Iran has denied these reports and stated that the Ayatollah has not been ill recently nor has he passed away. On 16th November 2024, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted an image (archive) […]
Claim: Five students at the University of Texas lost their scholarships for kneeling during the American national anthem. Fact: The claim is false and has been debunked multiple times before. On 23 December 2024, Threads user @amos.0954 posted (archive) a visual depicting women athletes kneeling in a stadium, alongside the following caption: “5 students who […]
Claim: A video shows a group of male lawyers beating a Hindu girl who was trying to enter the court to raise attention about the police not filing a case regarding the kidnapping and rape of her minor sister. Fact: The claim is false as the video is from 2019 and shows Amrat Shahzadi, a […]
Claim: Visuals show the aftermath of an operation by authorities against protesters of the PTI in Islamabad. Four of these images show bloodied roads, while the other two likely resemble scenes of a bombing. Fact: All six images are AI-generated, as identified by multiple tell-tale markers. The visuals in question also do not accurately show […]
Claim: A video of several men fighting on a road is being shared online as evidence of the growing lawlessness in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Fact: The claim is misleading as the video is from 2016 and being reshared out of context. On 16 December 2024, an X user who identifies as a supporter of the Pakistan […]
Claim: The PTI’s protest in November 2024 was the “largest march in Pakistan’s history”, according to international media outlets, especially Al Jazeera. Fact: The caption is misleading and the accompanying video does not make any such claim. In the clip from Al Jazeera’s “Inside Story,” host Bernard Smith does not claim that the PTI held […]
Claim: Open AI’s new model O3 will change everything since artificial general intelligence (AGI) is finally here. Fact: Open AI’s new reasoning model O3 is not equivalent to achieving AGI. On 6 December 2024, OpenAI launched a 12-day event called “12 Days of OpenAI”. Each day of the event, the company introduced a new feature […]
Claim: A violent video of a man being beaten up in a river, with his hands and feet tied together, is from the recent attacks on the Shia community in Parachinar. Fact: The video is old; it emerged online as early as 2021 and is, therefore, unrelated to the recent unrest in Parachinar. Parachinar Attacks […]
Claim: Several popular social media pages shared variations of the claim that said, according to a US study, “You will die seven years earlier if you live In Lahore for one year”. The study referenced is the Air Quality Life Index’s (AQLI) fact sheet for Pakistan, which was published in 2023 and developed by the […]
Claim: A video shows a group of male lawyers beating a Hindu girl who was trying to enter the court to raise attention about the police not filing a case regarding the kidnapping and rape of her minor sister. Fact: The claim is false as the video is from 2019 and shows Amrat Shahzadi, a […]
Claim: French medical reports show that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was born as a man with XY chromosomes. Fact: The Algerian Olympic Association and Imane Khelif have publicly denounced the claim. In addition, no document to support the claim has been brought forward. In early November 2024, social media was abuzz with posts claiming that […]
Claim: Shahbaz Gill defended Richard Grenell and spoke against criticisms of Grenell based on his sexual orientation, saying it is a sign of ignorance to criticise him for his sexuality. Fact: Siasat.pk officially denied ever publishing this image or recording this statement from Gill. Azhar Mashwani, PTI’s chief digital strategist also denied on Gill’s behalf […]