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Hamna Iqbal Baig

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Hamna Baig is a fact-checker at Soch Fact Check. She has a BA in Media Sciences from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology and an MA in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Kent. Her stories have appeared in an international media outlet, Pioneers Post as well as in local online and print publications in Pakistan; DAWN, ARY News and SAMAA Digital. She covers culture, social issues and social entrepreneurship as a freelance journalist.

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Starbucks stores in San Francisco are not closing due to Pro-Palestine boycott

The closure of seven branches in San Francisco was announced before 7 October Hamas attacks
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Deepfake video falsely portrays a belly dancing Maryam Nawaz 

The original video is from 2021 and, in fact, shows an Indonesian model
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Khursheed Shah did not apologise for ousting Imran Khan from power

Former Minister’s interview with Dawn TV was misconstrued
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Video from Syria falsely linked to airstrike on Turkish Palestinian hospital

The video shows an airstrike on a Syrian hospital is 2016
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Video from 9 May protests falsely linked to recent attack on Mianwali air base

Video from 9 May protests falsely linked to recent attack on Mianwali air base
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Saudi Arabia has not ended normalisation talks with Israel

Negotiations have been suspended for now
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Video of Bella Hadid supporting Israel is a deepfake

The original video is from 2016
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CII did not declare first wife’s permission unnecessary for second marriage

The 2020 law is still in place
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Altered memo linked to $8 bn US military aid to Israel

The original memo from July 2023 allocated $400 million to Ukraine, not Israel. 
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AI-generated image claims to show a tent city for Israelis

There is currently no tent city set up in Eilat for refugees
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Clip from Algeria wrongly linked to Israel bombing in Gaza

The clip predates the bombing
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Photo from Thailand wrongly linked to Palestinians faking death

The photo is from 2022 when children dressed up for Halloween
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Iran denies sentencing Cristiano Ronaldo to 99 lashes

Viral posts claim he was punished for hugging a woman in Iran
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Emir of Qatar did not threaten to cut off world’s natural gas

The claim is based on the misrepresentation of a 2017 video
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Video game clips wrongly linked to Hamas attack on Israel

Video game clips wrongly linked to Hamas attack on Israel
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Hareem Shah links old videos to Hamas attack on Israel

The videos are from May 2023
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Video of paragliders in Egypt falsely linked to Hamas attack

The video shows paragliders flying around the Egyptian Military Academy
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Lahore has not surpassed Karachi’s population

Lahore Division comprises four districts
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Video does not show Greek coastguard firing at migrant boat

It is actually from 2021, when Libyan coastguard opened fire at a migrant boat
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Imran Khan enclosure not removed from Punjab cricket stadiums

Tickets for the enclosure are still being sold
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Media reports falsely claim Asad Umar was arrested in cipher case

He has secured pre-arrest bail
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Doctored photo wrongly shared as Imran Khan in jail

The original image shows Ali Mohammad Khan
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Video shows people gathered outside Central Prison Peshawar, not Attock jail

Old video falsely shared as PTI supporters protesting outside Attock jail
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Caretaker PM Anwaar ul Haq Kakar misidentified in viral video

It shows former PPP MNA Sikandar Ali Rahoupoto
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President Arif Alvi did not sign new national security laws

Media reported on 19 August 2023 that he signed both bills
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Judge Humayun Dilawar was nominated by IHC for University of Hull training

The University had no role in selecting participants
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Fazlur Rehman did not say he won’t celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day

The video is from 2018
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Burj Khalifa did light up on Pakistan’s Independence Day

The landmark lit up during the evening of 14 August
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Parody account posts fake cypher

The account says it’s not a real account of the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)
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Video of PIA plane moving on flooded Lahore runway is old

It’s an old video from 2020
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Animals were not let out of zoo during France 2023 riots

The videos date back to 2020
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Entire Trocadero building will not be turned into a mosque

Only an available space in the basement will be utilised
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Video does not show Swedish presidential palace on fire

It actually shows a post office in Manila
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Fawad Chaudhry did not mock India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission

A 2019 video has been wrongly linked to him making fun of India’s space mission
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Some Shan spices have been recalled in Germany, not banned

Authorities say that these spices contain ethylene oxide
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Photo wrongly linked to reports of Taliban in Parachinar

An old photo has made rounds on social media.
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Hrithik Roshan did not voice support for Imran Khan

An doctored video is being shared on social media
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Photo from 2014 linked to Greece boat tragedy

The photo was taken on 18 July 2014 by a product tanker shipping company 
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Photo does not show wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

It’s shows Tristar airplane in Red Sea
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Old video wrongly linked to PTI lawmaker’s fleet being burned

The video is from Nowshera district, Peshawar
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Photos from 2016 wrongly linked to Greece boat tragedy

The viral photos are from 2016
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Video from Spain shared as Biparjoy hitting Indian Gujarat

The video shows waves hitting the coast of San Sebastian in Spain.
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This image shows a young Kashmiri man, not PTI’s Ibad Farooq

The photo is from 2019
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Khadijah Shah has not been released from jail

She will appear before court tomorrow
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Old video from Peshawar shared as recent after Imran Khan’s release

The video does not show PTI supporters gathered in Zaman Park, Lahore
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Miftah Ismail did not say Imran Khan saved Pakistan from global inflation

A viral screenshot suggesting so is fabricated
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Screengrab suggesting Saudi Crown Prince refused to meet Sharifs is doctored

The two leaders recently met as per Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb
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Imran Khan did not say an elected prime minister was slapped

The screenshot going viral is doctored
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Aima Baig did not say she had a crush on her brother

The singer has been misquoted in viral posts
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Miftah Ismail did not blame PDM for 9 May riots

A false statement has been attributed to him
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Imran Khan did not say Ali Amin Gandapur was sexually assaulted

Gandapur is in police custody since April 6
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Video from Guatemala falsely linked to PTI protests

The video is from 2021
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Video from Parachinar incident wrongly linked to PTI protests

The clip is from 4 May 2023
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Posts wrongly claim Imran Khan has died

Khan appeared in a court hearing today
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Photo does not show Imran Khan injured in NAB custody

It's from 2013 when Khan fell from a container
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Clip of Imran Khan’s lawyer conveying message about martial law is not doctored

The PTI chief told people to stand strongly for the rule of law
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Photo showing helicopters flying over GHQ is from 2009

The photo has been wrongly linked to recent protests following Imran Khan’s arrest
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Photo does not show Bilawal honouring Indian soldiers who died in Kargil

The photo is from the foreign minister’s Lithuania visit
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Misleading news about Noor Jehan’s post-mortem go viral

The elephant’s post-mortem report has not been made public
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Photo of padlocked grave is from India, not Pakistan

The viral photo has been linked to necrophilia in Pakistan
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PML-N denies boycotting Punjab elections

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False claim about firing on Mohsin Dawar go viral

The politician is safe
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Imran Khan did not say Gen Asim Munir is a good human being

A false statement has been attributed to him
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PM Narendra Modi is not the top contender for Nobel Peace Prize

A false statement was attributed to the deputy chair of the 2022 Norwegian Nobel Committee
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Sri Lanka denies gifting two elephants to Pakistan

The Sri Lanka mission says their government never initiated any such discussion
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Photos of Donald Trump’s arrest are AI-generated

It was created using AI art tool Midjourney
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Photo of baby skydiving is not real

The photo is AI-generated
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Old video from Turkey linked to recent earthquake in Pakistan

It is from February 2023 when a massive earthquake struck Turkey and Syria.
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Photo of Pope Francis in white puffer jacket is not real

It’s an AI-generated image
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Old photo passed off as PTI’s recent Minar-e-Pakistan rally

The photo is from April 2018
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Video does not show PTI women and trans people attacking police

It’s an old video from 2022 when transgender people staged a protest in Lahore
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Photo of tear gas shells is from 2020, not Zaman Park

The shells were fired at TLP protestors in November 2020
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Photo does not show police officer killed in Zaman Park clashes

It’s an old photo from May 2022
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Old photo from Afghanistan wrongly linked to Zaman Park clashes

The photo first surfaced on social media in October 2022
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Photo does not show injured police officers in Zaman Park clashes

It is from October 2021 when clashes broke out between TLP and police
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Old video of petrol pump ablaze is from Narowal, not Lahore

The video is from June 2020 when a pump in Narowal was set on fire.
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KP’s forensic laboratory is in operations since 2018

It’s located at the Khyber Medical College in Peshawar
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Pink Bus is the first-ever women-only service in Sindh, not Pakistan

Similar bus services have been previously launched in Lahore, Peshawar and Gilgit-Baltistan
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Old video from India wrongly linked to earthquake in Syria

It shows demolition of twin towers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh in 2022
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Photo from Afghanistan shared as people fleeing Pakistan

The photo dates back to October 2020
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Poster does not show Indian fan supporting Babar Azam

The placard is doctored
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Maryam Nawaz did not say PTI supporters are jealous of her beauty

The newsgrab doing the rounds on social media is doctored
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Old video of slaughterhouse raid wrongly linked to inflation

The video was uploaded on Facebook in 2015
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Photo does not show DG ISI at Musharraf’s funeral

It’s an old photo from January 2023 when he attended funeral prayers of two CTD officers
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Visual listing BJP as having largest misinfo network is based on parody account

The tweet was shared by a parody account
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Old video linked with Turkey earthquake in 2023

The video is from the 2020 Izmir earthquake
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Pakistan Super League 2023 has not been postponed

The matches in Karachi will be held as scheduled
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LEAs carried out operations at Karachi Police HQ attack, contrary to posts

Terrorists attacked Karachi Police Office building on 17 February 2023
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Video does not show nuclear power plant explosion in Turkey

Clip shows 2020 port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon
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Video of Tokyo building collapse wrongly linked to Turkey earthquake

Clip shows strong winds that blew off the façade of a building in 2016
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Video does not show Macron, wife dancing 30 years ago

It shows two ballroom dancers performing at a reality show
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Siraj ul Haq did not claim to end corruption with PPP

The statement was wrongly attributed to him
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Old video from Afghanistan linked to Nepal plane crash

It’s a 2013 video from Bagram, Afghanistan
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Video of Instagrammer portrayed as Bilawal Bhutto dancing

The clip features Mehroz Baig
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Old photo of Hafiz Naeem and Malik Riaz passed off as recent

The photo is from a 2020 meeting
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Photo does not show Putin reading Imran Khan’s book

The image is doctored
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APTMA denies closure of textile mills across Pakistan

They said the news is baseless
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Old photo being linked to wheat crisis in Pakistan

The photo is from 2021
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50,000 children were not born in Faisalabad in 10 days

More than 50,000 childbirths were registered in Faisalabad division as part of a birth registration drive
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Video of doctors arguing in OT is from India, not Pakistan

The video was shot in Jodhpur in August 2017
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