Menu سوچو

Haseem uz Zaman

avatar


Haseem uz Zaman is a journalist and fact-checker at Soch Fact Check. Previously associated with Geo News, they have extensive news-building and editorial experience and divide their time between reading, photography, and activism. Their areas of interest include gender, minority rights, intersectionality, class and oppression, as well as protests and politics in South Asia.



Follow This Author

Pakistan govt is not banning PKR 5,000 banknote

Similar claims were debunked multiple times in the past
By

Image falsely claims to show Biden seeking forgiveness from George Floyd’s daughter

Image surfaces amid controversy over the death of PTI leader Abbad Farooq’s son
By

Reports of suicide of Israeli PM Netanyahu’s psychiatrist are actually satire

Viral posts surface after Pakistani outlet published a 2010 satirical report as real news
By

Was Israeli army chief captured, subjected to violence?

Viral video passes off Ukrainian prisoner of war as chief of IDF
By

Viral photo does not show late Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver with Yasser Arafat

Image is from 1982 when Sarit Yishai-Levi, Uri Avneri, and Anat Saragusti met Arafat
By

Old clip showing execution, mass grave wrongly linked to Israeli forces

Video shows footage from 2013 Tadamon massacre in Syria
By

Video of cleric sexually abusing student is from Pakistan, not Palestine

Video is actually from Pakistan when cleric’s student secretly filmed being abused
By

Posts misrepresent UN aid to Gaza as ‘expired’

Aid packages expire on 22 November 2023
By

Switzerland’s new law bans all face coverings, does not target Muslims specifically

Most media reports carry skewed narratives on new law
By

Palestinians Fouad Jaber and Khaled Hamad were killed in 2014, contrary to viral claim

Video shot by Khaled Hamad that shows him being killed resurfaces amidst ongoing war
By

Is Disney producing a film based on a famed pornographic video?

Poster for the film was created by AI as a ‘joke’
By

Old video of beheading resurfaces amidst 2023 Israel-Hamas escalation

Video shows members of the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki group executing a Syrian boy
By

Image of an Israeli soldier with rescued twin babies is AI-generated

Image contains multiple telltale signs of being created by AI
By

Ushna Shah’s claim about Instagram banning pro-Palestinian content in Canada is misleading

Meta has removed news content for users in Canada owing to the Online News Act 2023
By

Disputed visuals show body of a real Palestinian child, not a doll

Claim amplified by the government of Israel
By

Viral video does not show Israeli children held in cages by Hamas

False claim has gained staggeringly high traction on social media platforms
By

False reports emerge about death of India’s Amartya Sen

His daughter Nandana Sen has denied claims he died
By

SAMAA TV runs misinformation on insurance cover provided by SBP

Later said SBP debunked ‘misinformation’ peddled by media
By

Old video of Khawaja Asif ink attack shared as warning ahead of Nawaz’s return

Video has been rehashed multiple times over the past with misleading captions
By

Capital TV, SAMAA TV run misleading reports on earthquake

Channels posted clickbait thumbnails in a bid to rake up views
By

Viral photos showing Modi and Biden sharing Indian food are AI-generated

Images surfaced as Biden travelled to India for G20 Summit 2023
By

Old report about female infanticide in India recycled as new

News was originally reported back in 2019
By

Old pictures linked to dubious claim dog meat was seized from KP restaurants

KP Police say they have not carried out any such raid
By

Old picture of Imran Khan doctored to show former PM in jail

Original image was taken during 2011 sit-in organised by Imran Khan
By

Did a beggar enter a plane in Karachi?

Video from 2018 is unrelated to Karachi
By

Photo shows Rahul Gandhi with Italy’s Castaldo, not an ISI agent

Man circled in red is European Parliament member Fabio Massimo Castaldo
By

24 News bulletins make false claims

Claims relate to petrol, US dollar, and government decisions
By

Photo of Imran Khan walking out of jail is AI-generated

Image has various errors consistent with AI-generated content
By

This image does not show Nawaz Sharif’s ‘cancelled’ PIA flight from UK to Pakistan

Image shows PIA flights that is currently banned in UK, US, and EU
By

Do these photographs show Imran Khan’s jail cell?

Images actually show cells in Ohio State Reformatory and Alcatraz
By

Viral selfie of caretaker PM was not taken during recent UNGA visit

In 2019, Kakar praised Imran Khan for aggressive speech targeting India
By

This image does not show the daughter of Pakistan’s former top judge

Image actually shows TV show host Shiffa Z. Yousafzai
By

Rubber used to make chicken nuggets? Viral video based on false narrative

Video actually shows the process of manufacturing rubber bands
By

Viral picture does not show Nawaz Sharif with Humayun Dilawar or Arshad Malik

Picture actually shows Nawaz Sharif with a journalist in London
By

This is not an authentic photo of Imran Khan with his mother

Image of Imran Khan has been doctored into a different picture
By

Man seen taking oath as sports minister in viral photo is not PM Kakar’s son

Image shows Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani taking oath as Balochistan’s Sports Minister
By

Asia Cup 2023: Years-old anti-India chants edited on to Gautam Gambhir video

People chanted in support of Virat Kohli but Pakistanis cricket fans blamed
By

Capital TV runs old video as IMF response to Pakistan electricity protests

Report comes amid heightened tensions between citizens, govt over power woes
By

Conspiracy theory wrongly linked to Pakistan’s transgender community

Social media user claims trans rights progress is the ‘end of the family system’
By

Doctored Donald Trump mugshots go viral

Images are AI-generated or digitally altered
By

Digitally-manipulated picture of Imran Khan with beard emerges amid reports of poor jail facilities

Original photograph was snapped on 24 July when Imran Khan appeared at a court
By

Behind-the-scenes video of Mahira Khan shared in misleading context

Video shared by PTI-leaning account, which takes a jibe at PML-N
By

Unrelated photos of dead bodies wrongly linked to 2023 Bajaur bombing

Images are years-old, some dating as far back to 2013
By

Image purportedly showing body of PTI protester’s father is from 2018

Image is actually a stock photo that can be found on Alamy
By

Pictures of PML-N supporters wrongly linked to Judge Humayun Dilawar

ADSJ Dilawar declared Imran Khan ‘dishonest’ and sentenced him to three years
By

German exchange programme not collaborating with Pakistan govt, contrary to PMYP tweet

DAAD says no ‘ongoing collaboration’ with Prime Minister's Youth Programme
By

Video of anti-blasphemy law protest falsely painted as one against Pakistan Army chief

Demonstrators gathered to protest case filed against prominent Shiite cleric
By

Old doctored photo of Fazlur Rehman with Jack Daniel’s resurfaces

Photo surfaced back in 2020 and 2021
By

Anchor exaggerates petrol prices in Canada compared to Pakistan

Petrol prices in Canada are listed in cents per litre
By

Pakistan’s economy has not shrunk; its growth rate did

Notable publication publishes misleading headline
By

Pakistani pastor’s interview about 2023 Jaranwala rampage falsely shared with divisive spin

Pastor was speaking about attack on Christian community over blasphemy claims
By

CGI video passed off as real amid Vegas alien reports

Claim took off when a 911 call from a frantic citizen about an alien was released
By

Does this image show dead bodies of 13 people who died during 2023 Hajj?

Viral image dates back to at least 2017
By

Posts misidentify Indian policewoman and Pakistan Army officer as Seema Haider

Pakistani Seema Haider illegally travelled to India to marry a man she met through PUBG
By

No, Shehbaz Sharif did not cry over recent increase in petrol prices

Photo originally from when Shehbaz Sharif watched a video on Pakistan’s martyrs
By

Viral inspirational message on WhatsApp about Arnold Schwarzenegger is false

Image of Arnold Schwarzenegger is authentic but tied to baseless claim
By

The oldest olive tree is in Greece, not Israel

At least half a dozen other olive trees in Greece are believed to be of similar age
By

Does this viral video show Congo Army chief being dragged by wife?

Clip is in fact from the Congolese movie ‘LA Conquête’
By

Video shared by Pakistani journalist not from riots in India’s Manipur

Video is originally from Myanmar and surfaced in December 2022
By

This video does not show a dirty British Airways flight from Pakistan to London

Video was shared in a misleading context back in 2019 as well
By

Malala Yousafzai has not been ‘silent about human rights abuses in Pakistan’

Tweet claiming as such has been viewed over 284,300 views
By

Has Bill Gates been arrested and detained in Guantanamo Bay?

Contrary to claim, Bill Gates has not been arrested nor does viral photo show him tied up
By

Drone cameras have been temporarily, not completely, banned in Sindh

ARY News, Hum News, UrduPoint ran misleading headlines
By

Afghan singer Hasiba Noori was not killed in Peshawar

False news of her death went viral on Indian Twitter and Indian media outlets
By

Unrelated photo wrongly linked to June 2023 France protests over teen killing

Photo actually shows arson by football fans in Netherlands
By

Video of Algerians at Place de la République is not related to 2023 France protests

Video is from pro-democracy protests against former Algerian President Bouteflika
By

Traffic crash video from India’s Hyderabad wrongly shared as Pakistan’s Hyderabad

Clip’s authenticity corroborated by registration of case by Indian police
By

Shahzada Dawood was not the vice-chairman of the World Economic Forum

Claim went viral on multiple social media platforms including TikTok
By

This video does not show a Muslim sniper during 2023 France riots

Video seems to have first appeared on Twitter in 2022
By

No, Abrar-ul-Haq did not sing a melody to honour Gen Asim Munir

Authentic video clip dubbed with unrelated melody from 2022
By

Shehbaz Sharif did not congratulate India’s Congress party on Karnataka election win

Viral tweet shows Shehbaz hoping for ‘strengthening of Islam in India’
By

Baseless post claims viral audio is of ‘banging’ sounds from Titan submersible

Neither US Coast Guard nor any other body has released the alleged audio
By

Claim Pakistani newspapers did not mention Greece boat disaster is incorrect

Claim first that was posted on Twitter eventually spread to Facebook
By

Woman doctored into selfie of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and son

Original picture both Fazlur Rehman and his son wearing turbans
By

Picture showing ‘stunt doubles’ of Tom Cruise is AI-generated

Image created by AI tool Midjourney was originally shared on Facebook
By

Satirical post about Russia oil cargo linked to Imran Khan passed off as real news

Several people fell for the report despite ‘satire’ label
By

Sexually explicit video falsely linked to Rana Sanaullah

Video from as early as 2019 shows two men engaging in sexual activity
By

News bulletin claiming rape of Khadijah Shah confirmed is doctored

Soch Fact Check compared the viral visual with the actual bulletin
By

Old video of Fazlur Rehman passed off as JUI-F chief visiting Thailand

Video is actually from 2022 when he arrived in Karachi for a funeral
By

Old video of ink incident rehashed over Khawaja Asif’s ‘dacoits’ comment

Video unrelated to Asif’s recent comments; incident actually occurred in 2018
By

Viral WhatsApp message falsely claims Michael Jackson sung an Islamic song for Hajj

Song was sung by Irfan Makki and uploaded to YouTube in 2012
By

Report claiming Titan submersible found empty is fabricated

CNN has not published any such report regarding the Titan submersible
By

Video said to be Cyclone Biparjoy near Karachi Sea View is actually from Mexico

The video had gone viral with a false claim in July 2022 as well
By

Karachi grid station blast falsely shared as explosion at nuclear facility

Claim shared by Twitter user @steve_hanke who often shares dubious information
By

Old photo of woman tortured reshared amid crackdown on PTI

Image is indeed from Pakistan, not Iran or Afghanistan as some claim on social media
By

Asif Zardari did not announce support for Imran Khan

Two videos from 2019 and 2022 rehashed with the same claim on Facebook
By

This image shows actor-model Elnaaz Norouzi, not Khadijah Shah

Khadijah Shah, a PTI supporter, is currently in police custody over 9 May unrest in Pakistan
By

Viral video does not show rockets being fired from Palestine into Israel

Old video shared alongside wrongly presented comments of Israeli defence minister
By

Does this video show an F-35 jet performing a stunt?

Clip has resurfaced multiple times over the past few months
By

Video of Imran Khan claimed to be from before arrest is actually from 2022

Imran Khan talks about ‘what’s being done today’ is reaction to Haqeeqi Azadi campaign
By

Video from 2019 shared as recent police crackdown against PTI

Claim with video also refuted by Punjab Police
By

PTI worker not handed 10-year sentence by military court for stealing peacock

Claim originated from a now-deleted tweet that was based on an assumption
By

SSGC has not announced a new gas load-shedding schedule

Karachi-based gas supplier says viral reports are ‘fake news’
By

AI-generated photo of woman at PTI protest passed off as real

Creator of PTI protest-related image confirms he used Midjourney
By

Akshay Kumar has not condemned the arrest of Imran Khan

Viral video shows Akshay Kumar saying, ‘I’m supporting Imran Khan’
By

Photo of civilians atop Bala Hisar Fort misrepresented amid PTI protests

Viral misleading claims were flagged by journalist who took the picture
By

Unrelated video passed off as protest against Imran Khan’s arrest at Avenfield House

Video is actually from April 2022 following Khan’s ouster
By

Digital art passed off as real scud clouds over Sydney

Image was originally created by digital artist and photographer Brent Shavnore in 2020
By

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz has not died

Old bulletin announcing his brother King Abdullah’s death rehashed
By

Dubious Twitter user shares misleading information about menopause

Soch Fact Check found account’s claim of being a John Hopkins graduate to be false
By