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: A video shows a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally, likely from the recent protests held in August 2025. Fact: The footage is likely AI-generated. On 5 August, a Facebook user posted a video (archive) that apparently showed a rally organised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to call for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The […]

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Claim: A video shows flash floods in Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), in August 2025. Fact: The video surfaced online as early as August 2024 and, therefore, is not connected to the recent floods in Buner. An Instagram user posted a video (archive) that is apparently from the recent floods in Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), in […]

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Claim: A video shows a cloudburst from the recent deadly floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Fact: The video is likely AI-generated. In the aftermath of the recent deadly floods in Pakistan’s northwestern areas, a Facebook user shared a video claiming it shows a cloudburst occurring somewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The text embedded in the video states […]

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Claim: Video shows a cloudburst in Pakistan. Fact: The video is from Austria and shows a microburst over Lake Millstatt. On 27 July, an Instagram user posted a video (archive) that apparently showed a cloudburst somewhere in Pakistan. The caption reads:  “This isn’t a movie. This is Pakistan, 2025. Cloudburst caught LIVE – and it’s […]

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Claim: A video shows Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protesters removing a shipping container in Lahore amid the demonstration on 5 August 2025. Fact: The video is old and unrelated to the recent protests. A Facebook user posted a video (archive) that purportedly showed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf protesters in Lahore removing a shipping container from a road amid […]

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Claim: An image shows human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari posing with university lecturer Usman Qazi, who was recently arrested for his alleged involvement with the militant group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Fact: The image is doctored. The original photo shows Mazari next to her father. An X user posted a photo (archive) that shows the […]

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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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