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Haseem uz Zaman

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Digital media outlets peddle misleading news about Swat by-election

Polls took place on 26 June
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Quotes about cheap oil for Pakistan wrongly attributed to Russian Consul General

Consul General Andrey Fedorov says he was not present at Khan’s meeting with Putin
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Ex-ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha did not make ‘shocking revelations’ in viral video

Clip was taken from now-deleted YouTube channel of Captain (R) Ejaz Raja
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Viral message about Indian film ‘Allaah Banday’ is false

Bollywood has not released a film featuring a portrayal of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
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Reports of a Pakistan-US airspace deal shared with factual inaccuracies

Social media posts imply that Shehbaz Sharif’s government capitulated to US
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Doctored photo of Hamza Shahbaz in yellow blazer goes viral

Hamza Shahbaz’s dark blue, chequered blazer edited with yellow overlay
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2021 video of TLP procession shared as anti-India protest

Video is actually from the ‘chehlum’ procession of TLP founder Khadim Rizvi
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Zendaya denies pregnancy rumours

Actress shuts down rumours via statement on Instagram
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A Pakistani JF-17 was not stolen by ‘elements sympathetic to Imran Khan’

Reddit user’s video shared with false claim by Indian Twitter account
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Shehbaz Sharif did not wear scarf with Palestinian flag as prime minister

Year-old photo resurfaces with misleading caption
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Reports of second petrol price hike on June 8 are false

Fake news causes bad traffic jams across Pakistan’s major cities
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Satirical article about man eating his wives published as real news

Article originally published by Canadian website in 2019
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Picture of football fans kissing misleadingly shared as PTI supporters

Photograph doctored and shared as moral policing
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Polish artist’s work doctored to include Osama bin Laden’s name

Digital art from 2019 makes no mention of Osama bin Laden
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Court ruling wrongly shared as proof KFC is ‘Haram’, ‘anti-Islamic’

Ruling makes no mention of KFC burgers not being 100% chicken
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Misleading reports claim bus carrying LUMS students ‘fell off a cliff’

Bus actually crashed into oncoming vehicle then slipped into nearby ditch
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Karachi protest over Imran Khan’s ouster did not attract 200,000 people

Liberal estimate suggests there were nearly 100,000 protesters
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NASA will not launch naked pictures of humans to space to attract aliens

Reports based on hypothetical idea to send binary-coded digitised images of human body to space
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Viral video does not show Captain Bilal with son before battle

Clip is actually of the nephew of a journalist
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Onlookers did not chant ‘Jiye Bhutto’ during Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to Medina

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia
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‘Game of Thrones’ actor Kristian Nairn has not transitioned

Viral post on Twitter wrongly attributed to Hodor actor
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Viral post about rivalry between Puran Mal and Aurangzeb Alamgir is false

Collage of pictures accompanied by claim that Rajput ruler defeated Mughal emperor thrice
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Assange cartoon doctored to insult Sharif government

Cartoon originally published by Mint linked to defunct American magazine
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Photo of protest against Imran Khan’s removal edited to make crowd appear larger

Clear digital cloning errors visible in the image
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Karachi has not reported a rare case of ectopic pregnancy in teeth

Viral post was shared as a joke on a Russian website in 2018
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Doctored video shows people chanting ‘You’re a thief’ at PM Shahbaz Sharif

Sharif visited a Ramzan bazaar in Lahore
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Viral image of distraught woman is not from 2022 Dadu fire

Image is actually from a fire in Lalu Raunk in 2018
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Fake write-up defending Imran Khan attributed to Pakistani jurist

Note allegedly written by Justice (r) Nasira Javed Iqbal supports Imran Khan’s claims of foreign interference
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Imran Khan’s picture edited onto 2017 Turkey protest poster

Picture goes viral amid protests against Khan’s ouster
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No, US President Joe Biden did not celebrate Imran Khan’s ouster

Video shared as proof of claims of American interference in Pakistan
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Pervaiz Khattak did not abuse journalists in Parliament elevator

Viral video shows former NA speaker Asad Qaiser using the B-word
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No, Portugal has not opened a church made with the skulls of 5,000 Muslims

Viral social media post discusses alleged international campaign targeting Islamic countries
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Pakistani columnist shares fake letter claiming American NGO is funding Opposition parties

Letter claims NGO advised against sending Pakistan an invite for a democracy moot
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Snippets of overseas Pakistani woman’s interview from 2021 shared as local resident’ views

Video also shared by special assistant to Khan to bolster agenda
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Video claiming ‘participant’ spoke against Aurat March is actually of a journalist

Maryam Ikram, the woman in question, is a TV show host and anchorperson
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Picture claiming to show crowd at ‘Amar Bil Maroof’ rally is actually from 2007

Image shows protest in Istanbul in the aftermath of Turkish editor Hrant Dink’s assassination
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Misleading reports about LSDV in cattle cause panic across Pakistan

LSDV cannot infect humans but leads to weight and milk loss in cattle
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Poster from Aurat March edited with joke about Gujranwala

Original text on poster is a meme that highlights gender pay gap
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Text about sexually assaulting men edited onto Aurat March poster

Poster originally from 2018 Aurat March is in fact about fundamental rights
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Doctored poster from India shared in Pakistan on International Women’s Day

Poster from 2012 Nirbhaya protests alleged to be from Aurat March
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No, a majority of Pakistanis do not think Aurat March should be banned

Twitter poll by right-wing talk show host passed off as authentic survey
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BBC News publishes story with misleading headline in Noor Mukadam case

Outlet shares headline apparently breaking the news of Mukadam’s death on day of her killer’s sentencing
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Picture of distraught elderly woman in line to buy sugar is actually from 2009

Photo likely reshared due to rising inflation at present in Pakistan
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Doctored picture of politician of ‘Grape’ fame with Russia’s Putin goes viral again

Former senator Sehar Kamran is not currently in Russia
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Video allegedly showing China’s ‘artificial sun’ going up in the sky is actually of rocket launch

‘Artificial sun’ created in a tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor cannot be launched into the sky
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Fake letter to Imran Khan linked to Pakistan Army Chief Gen Bajwa

Letter claims Gen Bajwa acknowledged ‘all 190 martyrs of Noshki and Panjgur’
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Inaccurate quote attributed to Prince Charles about women’s rights and Islam resurfaces

Quote circulating again on social media platforms ahead of Aurat March 2022
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Top Pakistani TV channels carry parody account’s tweet as news

They attributed a fake tweet to Finance Ministry spokesperson Muzzammil Aslam
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Valentine’s Day notifications by Pakistani universities are fake

All universities confirm no Valentine’s Day instructions issued
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3-year-old report about PTI leader Iftikhar Ahmed Lund reshared on social media

Newspaper clipping of the news report reshared by renowned journalist
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Video from Sri Lankan university wrongly described as showing persecution of Muslims in India

Clip first circulated on Pakistani social media in 2019 and has now resurfaced
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Bill Gates did not say COVID-19 ‘is a farce’ or call for the withdrawal of vaccines

Satirical piece from August 2021 being circulated as authentic ‘confession’ in WhatsApp forwards
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Punjab has made caps, scarves mandatory in Quran classes only

Change applicable to Muslim students attending Quran recitation and teaching classes
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Don’t thank Nawaz Sharif! Scenic bridge in viral photo is in Austria, not Pakistan

Caption accompanying photo of bridge includes words of gratitude to PML-N supremo
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Mark Kelly did not pull the #SpaceApe prank on the ISS. It was his twin, Scott!

Astronauts and twin brothers Scott and Mark Kelly pulled off the prank in 2016
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Video of excavator crane crashing was not shot in Murree in January 2022

Clip shared in aftermath of Murree tragedy is from Malam Jabba and was shot in 2020
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Snow-covered bison in viral photograph is not from Gilgit-Baltistan

The photograph was actually taken by Tom Murphy in Yellowstone National Park in the United States
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Indian media outlet stokes hate with false account of controversial video

Right-wing news portal slips in fabricated reference to PepsiCo India
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PM Imran Khan’s joke about bankers’ attire misrepresented as directive

Khan’s comment was taken from a speech at an event organized by the NAPHDA
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GCU did not collaborate with Walled City of Lahore on Harry Potter Festival

Outlet previously flagged for misleading news again shares unverified reports
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Bogus post claims OIC expelled Imran Khan for condemning temple construction in India

Further claims include a UAE representative saying 'Pakistan only takes loans, but fails to repay’
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Newsweek did not publish a cover declaring Pakistan the ‘most intolerant nation’

Image allegedly depicting Newsweek cover is fake
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PM Imran Khan did not fall from an elevator or suffer spinal cord fracture

Old video of Khan’s injury from a fall during 2013 election campaign being republished as new
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Reports wrongly claim billionaire gave antiquities worth $70 million to Pakistan

Steinhardt’s collection included stolen antiquities from multiple countries but not Pakistan
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No, crows do not hold courts, nor do they have a criminal justice system

Claim compares the court of crows to Shariah, or Islamic laws
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Viral comment by Imran Khan on human rights, women’s rights misrepresented

Khan’s comment caused outrage in many quarters
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Newsweek cover terming Pakistan the ‘most dangerous nation’ is from 2007

Old cover likely being shared as magazine’s latest issue days after lynching of Priyantha Kumara
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Pakistan’s divorce rate has not hit an all-time high

Data From Two-Year-Old Survey Of Opinions On Divorce Rates Wrongly Run As Latest News
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Viral posts attribute fabricated comment demeaning South Asians to Spotify CEO

Agency representing Spotify in Pakistan terms reports as ‘incorrect’
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Viral video of ‘magic’ stone melting iron nails is actually gallium at high temp

Gallium, with a melting point of 29.76°C, is one of four metals that turns liquid at room temperature
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Visa-free entry for Pakistanis into Belarus comes with prerequisites

The European country recently announced a change in the visa system for Pakistanis
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EIU food security data cherry-picked to show ruling PTI in positive light

Global Food Security Index data compiled by the EIU used to falsely claim Pakistan’s ranking improved by three places
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Bogus gas supply schedule makes rounds on social media

Fake schedule causes worry among Pakistanis
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Misleading post wrongly claims YouTube is removing the ‘dislike’ button

The platform is, however, permanently hiding the ‘dislike’ count after experimenting with that move earlier this year
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Tortoise in viral image is not world’s oldest known land animal Jonathan

She’s a half-century old Galápagos Giant Tortoise known as ‘A11’ who resides in Australia’s Taronga Zoo
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National Savings has not announced any ‘good news’ for elderly pensioners

Reports characterising National Savings rate hikes as recent development are misleading as figures indicate July 2020 announcement is rehashed
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Forced marriage involving underage boy wrongly reported as new incident

The story of a 21-year-old girl being forced to wed a 10-year-old boy to protect family assets dates back to 2017
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Giant Tanzanian tree in viral photo is not the oldest in the world

The tree’s picture, alongside the claim that it is the world’s oldest, has been circulating on the Internet since the 2000s
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STATE BANK OF PAKISTAN IS NOT DISCONTINUING PKR 5,000 NOTE

SBP “categorically” rejects all such rumors, spokesperson says no plan to discontinue PKR 5,000 banknote
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Misleading headline being used as clickbait ahead of Diwali

Province-wide holiday announced for the Hindu community on occasion of the annual Diwali festival
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Reports detailing recent anti-trans incident are misleading

An Incident Of Discrimination Against A Transgender Woman In KP Was Wrongly Reported As A New Occurrence
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‘The Economist’ cover featuring Imran Khan is fake

Doctored cover falsely portrays the magazine’s stance on Imran Khan
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Crumbling grave in photo is not Liaquat Ali Khan’s final resting place

Image accompanied with captions reminding Pakistani leaders of mortality
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Posts falsely allege artist’s work is clip of Hurricane Shaheen

American artist’s work wrongly shared as video of the cyclone accompanied by Quranic verses
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Reports about NADRA allowing women to retain their surnames after marriage are misleading. Here’s what’s really changed

Pakistani women now have a choice to replace father’s name with husband’s on CNIC
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Sensational news pieces wrongly claim people can get free petrol in Pakistan

Hyperbolized headlines use old fuel reserve discovery report to mislead people
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Fawad Chaudhry did in fact call nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan a “fake hero” on Twitter in 2012

Chaudhry has now deleted three of his earlier tweets
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Screaming man in fiery car crash is not Swedish artist Lars Vilks

Years-old video from Russia falsely portrayed as crash that killed artist Lars Vilks
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Videos watched by millions perpetuate false and dangerous claims about Kalasha people

Viral videos resurface as propaganda against Kalasha people
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Viral screenshot showing PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz praising Imran Khan is fake

Fake screenshot shows tweet by PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz calling Imran Khan ‘my hero’
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Doctored image falsely shows Pakistan Army’s ex-spokesperson with Taliban chief

Picture of Major General Asif Ghafoor with two journalists doctored to include the face of Taliban Supreme Leader Akhundzada
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Former Indian Army officers bolster propaganda about Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan

Ex-Indian Army officers share images of Pakistani actors as soldiers in Afghanistan
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Punjab has not banned entry of TikTokers and YouTubers in parks … yet

Media reports on ban on entry of TikTokers & YouTubers in Punjab’s parks misleading
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Pakistani tabloid falsely claims Fatima Bhutto supports Zahir Jaffer

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No, a BTS fan did not play ‘Dynamite’ on mosque’s loudspeakers instead of Azaan

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SFX artist’s sculpture passed off as werewolf in Pakistan

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Karachi’s Expo Centre experiencing shortage of only two vaccines

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Case of forced conversion, abuse of minor Christian girl debunked

How a pastor’s plea for medical help was misrepresented as a false case of forced conversion.
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Bill proposing mandatory marriage at 18 years not tabled in Sindh Assembly yet

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