Anisa Shabir

Anisa Shabir is a senior fact-checker and open-source reporter at Soch Media. She also volunteers as an open-source researcher with Bellingcat's Global Authentication Project and previously worked as an investigative reporter at the Arizona State University’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. She was recognized for best community service project/reporting in the 2023 EPPY Awards and won the A-Mark Prize for Reporting on Misinformation and Disinformation. Her work has been featured in the Associated Press, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting (AZCIR), Cronkite News, and Dawn. She holds an MA in investigative journalism from Cronkite School on the Fulbright Scholarship Award.

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Claim: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has resigned. Fact: Asif has refuted rumours about his resignation. Multiple posts circulating online claim that the Defence Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif, resigned.  Some posts sharing this claim further allege that Asif resigned after a controversy “over the arrest of the ADCR #Sialkot”. This article only fact-checks the claim […]

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Claim: Several videos depict the final moments of a woman from Balochistan who was brutally murdered in a case of an honour killing that recently went viral on Pakistani social media. Fact: All the videos are fake and AI-generated. They appear to be dramatised versions of the incident, and do not represent factual events. Multiple […]

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Claim: A video shows a recent explosion taking place in the Saddar area of Karachi.  Fact: The explosion depicted in the footage took place in 2023, reportedly near Surjani Town. It does not show any recent explosion in Saddar. A Facebook user posted a video (archive) that apparently shows a recent explosion taking place in […]

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Claim: According to the footage, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz called her uncle, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, a thief. Fact: An old video from October 2021 has been shared out of context. Nawaz was referring to the former prime minister Imran Khan, not Shehbaz Sharif. A Facebook user posted a video (archive) […]

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Claim: China removed Pakistan from its list of visa-free entry countries. Fact: This is not true as Pakistan was never part of China’s list of visa-exempt countries. Only diplomatic and official passport holders are exempt from the requirement for up to 30 days. An X user, “@RealWahidaAFG,” claimed on X (archive) that China had issued […]

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Claim: A video shows Hyrbyair Marri admitting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi funds terrorist activities in Balochistan. Fact: The video has tell-tale signs of AI manipulation. On 4 July, X user @War_Analysts posted a video (archive) that purportedly showed Hyrbyair Marri complaining that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stopped funding the efforts aimed […]

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Claim: Siasat.pk quoted lawyer Imaan Mazari as saying that Punjabis killed by the proscribed militant group the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) are not martyrs. Fact: Siasat.pk did not report any such statement by Imaan Mazari. The image in the claim is doctored and the statement has been falsely attributed to the lawyer. On 12 July, […]

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Claim: A video shows a recent attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump. Fact: The video shows an attempt on Trump’s life, which took place in July 2024, during his presidential election campaign. No credible news reports say that another attempt on the US President’s life took place recently. On 23 June, a Facebook user […]

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Claim: A video shows Israeli citizens asking Iran for forgiveness, following Iran’s retaliatory strikes during the recent escalation between the two countries. Fact: The video of the crowd chanting such slogans is not authentic. It contains telltale signs of AI-generated media. An Instagram user “mbashir.afridi” posted a video (archive) that apparently showed an Israeli crowd […]

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Claim: A video shows Iranians celebrating and thanking Pakistan for their victory over Israel. Fact: The video is likely AI-generated. A Facebook user posted a video (archive) apparently showing a crowd waving Iranian and Pakistani flags and expressing gratitude. “Thanking Pakistan for Iran’s victory”, reads the caption of the video when translated from Urdu. Posts […]

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Claim: A video shows Pakistan has deployed its air force along the border with Iran as a precautionary measure during the Israel-Iran conflict. Fact: The video predates the recent Israel-Iran conflict and, therefore, is unrelated to it. On 13 June, an X user posted a video (archive) depicting two fighter jets taking off from a […]

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Claim: A video shows an Iranian drone hitting a building in Tel Aviv, Israel, in June 2025. Fact: The footage predates the recent Israel-Iran conflict. According to news reports, it shows a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, from October 2022. On 15 June 2025, a Facebook user, “Iran Military”, shared footage (archive) that apparently shows […]

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