Areeba Fatima

Areeba Fatima is a fact-checker and investigative reporter. She has a BS in Anthropology from Lahore University of Management Sciences. She has worked with Fact Focus on an Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation, the Suisse Secrets. She loves working with large datasets to extract meaningful information. She is interested in cybersecurity, financial crime, political corruption and technology.

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Claim: An image circulated on WhatsApp and social media shows a stark contrast between a well-developed school in Larkana, Sindh in 1873 and a dilapidated structure in 2017. The claim suggests that the region has regressed since British rule. Fact: The image purportedly from 1873 is not of a school in Larkana but of the […]

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Claim: Viral posts on social media claimed that Dr Gilbert A Kwak, a professor at ICBS General Hospital, stated that hot fig water can cure cancer and that hot figs can “destroy” cancer cells. Fact: Although test tube studies have shown that figs possess some anti-cancer properties, there is no credible evidence to support the […]

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Claim: Lazar Masih and his son Nazir Masih were killed in Sargodha in a lynching attempt by the residents of Mujahid colony in Sargodha.  Fact: Lazar Masih was not murdered, nor was his son Sultan. Lazar Masih, also known as Nazir, who was attacked and left injured, but alive.  On 27 May 2024, a photograph […]

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Claim: A viral video suggests that a significant number of Argentines are converting to Islam, as evidenced by footage of a woman visiting a mosque, converting to Islam, and reciting the Shahada, in accordance with Islamic traditions. Fact: The video in question is misleading; it was actually filmed at the Islamic Centre South West Ontario […]

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Claim: A Twitter post by @Osint613 claims to show a child in Gaza faking injuries amidst the rubble, suggesting crisis actors are being used to fabricate stories of Israeli bombings. Fact: The video in question is actually behind-the-scenes footage from a choreographed film shoot, not a depiction of real events in Gaza. This was very […]

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Claim: A female American soldier is looking to connect with people online on Threads. Fact: The image of the female American soldier is AI-generated.  On 12 May 2024, a Threads account shared an image of an American female soldier with the caption: “Hello, Lets chat on Instagram”. Receiving more than 17,800 views and hundreds of […]

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Claim:  Several news outlets and social media users reported that Pakistan’s Sindh High Court ordered the government to revoke the ban on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, within one week. Fact: This claim is false. The Sindh High Court did not issue a direct order to revoke the ban but instead gave […]

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Claim: The Afghan Taliban government has made a deal with the US government for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, in exchange for seven American prisoners from Afghanistan. Aafia Siddiqui has reached Kabul.  Fact: Siddqui has not been released and no agreement regarding her release has been made between the US government and the Afghan […]

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Claim: Social media posts, particularly by Facebook user Muhammad Atif, allege that Pakistani students were killed during recent mob violence in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, starting from 18 May 2024. Fact: Despite reports of violent clashes impacting Pakistani students in Bishkek, there is no verified evidence to support the claims of deaths among them. Al Jazeera referred […]

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Claim:  A video posted by “Pyara Sindh Press Club Tando Allahyar” on Facebook claims to show Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan dancing. Fact: The man in the video is actually Indian dance choreographer Varun Arora. On 14 May 2024, a video (archive) surfaced on Facebook showing a middle-aged man dancing energetically. The post by “Pyara […]

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Claim: A viral video shows Imran Khan arguing his case in front of the Supreme Court through a video call on 16 May 2024  Fact: Besides one photograph, no images or videos of Imran Khan’s video call were recorded on the day of the hearing. In that one photograph, he is wearing a light blue […]

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Claim: Punjab Police Sargodha District Police Officer (DPO) Asad Ejaz Malhi stated that videos depicting a victim of an attempted lynching on 25 May 2024 in Sargodha’s Mujahid Colony were “fake” and that no one was seriously injured in the incident. Fact: Multiple sources including eyewitness accounts, statements from affected families, and other videos taken […]

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