Claim: Leaked audio picked up by search and rescue officials has been released, with banging sounds from the ill-fated Titan submersible being heard. Fact: The leaked audio has no basis in reality. Neither the US Coast Guard nor the Canadian authorities released any audio. On 21 June 2023, Facebook page ‘Frankie Olivo’ posted a video […]
Claim: Three “major newspapers of Pakistan” — including Dawn, Tribune, and The News — did not publish on their front pages news about the hundreds of Pakistanis who drowned in the Greece boat disaster in June 2023. Fact: All three papers reported news of the June 2023 Greece boat disaster on their front pages, as […]
Claim: A picture shows Maulana Fazlur Rehman posing for a selfie with a young woman. Fact: The picture actually shows a bearded man in a turban and shawl — whom Soch Fact Check identified as Asjad Mahmood, the son of Fazlur Rehman — taking a selfie with his father. On 3 June 2023, Facebook user […]
Claim: A picture shows three stunt doubles of Tom Cruise. Fact: The men are not the stunt doubles of Tom Cruise. In fact, the picture is AI-generated. On 8 June 2023, Instagram account @fhmpakistan posted a picture (archive) showing what the magazine claims are “three stunt doubles” of Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. @fhmpakistan captioned the […]
Claim: A cargo ship carrying Russian oil has refused to unload its consignment until Imran Khan “personally comes to receive it”. Fact: The report is satire. On 2 April 2023, Twitter user @drfatima_pti posted a visual (archive) showing former prime minister and chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, against a backdrop of cargo […]
Claim: A video shows Rana Sanaullah engaging in sexual activities with another man. Fact: The video, which can be traced as far back as at least 2019, does not show Rana Sanaullah and has been wrongly linked to the Pakistani interior minister. On 1 June 2023, Facebook user ‘Hammad Abbasi’ posted a video (archive) that […]
Claim: Geo News reported in one of their news bulletins that hospital sources have confirmed Khadijah Shah was sexually assaulted in prison. Fact: The visual is manipulated and the editor of Geo News’ Urdu website has confirmed that it is a doctored image. On 28 May 2023, Facebook user ‘Imtiaz Hussain Pti’ posted two pictures […]
Claim: A video shows Maulana Fazlur Rehman stepping off a state jet he used to travel to Thailand for a “private” trip. Fact: The video is actually from 2022 and shows Fazlur Rehman arriving in Karachi for another religious cleric’s funeral. On 2 April 2023, Umar Jutt, a special correspondent at Dunya News, tweeted a […]
Claim: A video claims to show Khawaja Asif facing the first public backlash as a man throws ink on his face during a speech after “calling teachers dacoits”. Fact: The video does not show the public’s reaction to Khawaja Asif “calling teachers dacoits”. The clip is, in fact, from 2018 and is not related to […]
Claim: A viral WhatsApp message claims that Michael Jackson’s unreleased last song was about Hajj and that Saudi Arabia bought the rights from the US. Fact: Michael Jackson did not record this song, but Pakistani-Canadian singer Irfan Makki. It was uploaded on YouTube in 2012. The other claim that it was bought by Saudi Arabia […]
Claim: The missing submersible Titan was found empty. Fact: A CNN spokesperson has confirmed that the image was fabricated. The screenshot is, therefore, doctored. On 21 June 2023, Facebook page ‘Swagteamondeck’ posted a reel (archive) containing a screenshot allegedly from a CNN report, claiming that a submersible named Titan, which went missing a few days […]
Claim: A video shows the “menacing skies & turbulent seas” of Cyclone Biparjoy near Sea View, Karachi. Fact: The video does not show Karachi’s Sea View, nor is it from any coastal areas of Pakistan. It is, in fact, Category 2 Pacific Hurricane Olaf, which made landfall in Baja California Peninsula in Mexico in September […]