Claim: The artificial sweetener aspartame can worsen the cardiovascular condition atherosclerosis through insulin-triggered inflammation. Fact: Aspartame has not been conclusively found to worsen this condition; the findings were experimental and lacked firm evidence. Many X users have posted various claims when it comes to the health risks of consuming aspartame. On 20 February 2025, […]
Claim: A video shows the aftermath of a Pakistani strike on India’s Udhampur air base during the early hours of 10 May 2025. Fact: The video predates Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes in India. On 10 May 2025, many Pakistani news channels posted a video that they claimed shows a giant fire at the Indian Air Force’s […]
Author and researcher: Anisa Shabir Editors: Zainab Husain and Sarah Fariduddin Reporters: Areeba Fatima and Haseeem uz Zaman (Karachi), Aqeedat Chishti (Lahore), and Ibrahim Zauq (Islamabad) Photographer: Umar Akhtar (Karachi) On 10 May, Pakistan and India announced a ceasefire after the most expansive military action between the two nuclear nations in decades. Two days before, on […]
Claim: India has officially surrendered and accepted its defeat in the war with Pakistan. Fact: India did not make any such statements. Comments by a top Indian Army officer about reciprocal military deescalation have been misrepresented. On 10 May 2025, X user @_faridkhan posted (archive) a video of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi — an officer from […]
Claim: A video shows an intense exchange of gunfire across the Line of Control in Kashmir as India attacked multiple locations in Pakistan. Fact: The clip predates India’s 7 May attack. On 7 May 2025, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faheem Khan posted (archive) a video showing an intense exchange of gunfire across what he claimed […]
Claim: A video shows the Baloch people marching after declaring “war on the state” following Dr Mahrang Baloch’s arrest. Fact: The video is unrelated to the protests against Mahrang Baloch’s arrest or the ongoing situation in Balochistan. It is from Yemen, was posted online as early as 27 June 2024, and shows a custom or […]
Claim: The Lahore Airport was shut down after a “massive” blaze erupted when a tyre of an incoming Pakistan Army aeroplane caught fire. A slightly different version states that it was caused by a blast from the missile battery of air defence systems. Fact: No such incident occurred and the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has […]
Claim: Pakistan has shot down an Indian Sukhoi jet near Bahawalpur for violating the Line of Control (LoC). Fact: No such incident took place. An accompanying image is from June 2024 when an Indian jet crashed in Nashik, Maharashtra, due to what was reported to be a “technical snag”. On 27 April 2025, Facebook page […]
Claim: An image shows Dr Mahrang Baloch standing in front of the poster of BLA insurgent Rafiq Bizenjo, a suicide bomber who attacked the Quetta Railway Station in November 2024. Fact: The image is altered. On 22 March, X user posted a photo of Dr Mahrang Baloch, purportedly showing her standing in front of a […]
Claim: Shahbaz Gill sympathised with Israel after Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman and Mufti Taqi Usmani issued a fatwa for armed struggle (jihad) against Israel over its actions in Gaza. Fact: The caption of the post is misleading; the video does not show Gill sympathising with Israel. Rather, he questions the timing of the fatwa […]
Claim: An audio clip of human rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch confirms she is an Indian agent. Fact: The audio is a deepfake. A Facebook user posted an audio clip (archive) of human rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch, allegedly featuring her speaking to foreign entities purportedly from India. The text on Baloch’s image reads, “Indian […]
Claim: In the wake of the Pahalgam attack, personnel within the Pakistan armed forces have sent in a mass number of requests for resignation. Fact: Two letters being circulated online are fake as they contain a number of linguistic, and visual errors. On 28 April 2025, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted […]