Claim: Belarus has announced visa-free entry for Pakistanis. Fact: Belarus has introduced a new visa system for Pakistanis. To qualify, Pakistanis traveling to Belarus must have a valid multiple-entry visa of one of the European Union or the Schengen Area countries, as well as return tickets through airports in any of six specific cities, at […]
Claim: Pakistan’s ranking in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) has improved by three places during the first three years of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government. Fact: Pakistan’s ranking in the GFSI has only improved by one place. While the country’s scores for ‘Availability’ and ‘Quality and Safety’ improved between 2016 and 2021, those for […]
Claim: According to a viral message circulating on WhatsApp, a natural gas shutdown will be implemented across the country, including Karachi, from 1 December 2021. The text, which is being attributed to Pakistan’s Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, provided three discrete daily time slots during which the shutdown would be lifted and gas supplied. Fact: No […]
Claim: YouTube is removing the ‘dislike’ button from the platform. Fact: YouTube is making its dislike count private to deter harassment but the dislike button is not going anywhere. After the change comes into place, creators can still view the dislike count for their videos in the YouTube Studio should they wish to. On 11 […]
Claim: A picture has surfaced online claiming to depict Jonathan, a tortoise born in 1832, five years prior to the coronation of Queen Victoria. Posts sharing the picture state that Jonathan is due to turn 190 years old in 2022, making him the oldest-known land animal alive today. Fact: The picture in fact shows ‘A11’, […]
Claim: A recent report claimed that the Central Directorate of National Savings (“National Savings”), the state-owned savings bank of Pakistan, has bumped up profit rates on various government schemes. Fact: The increase in National Savings’ profit rates mentioned in the report in fact came about in July 2020 and is not a recent development. However, […]
Claim: A 21-year-old girl was forced to marry a 10-year-old boy, causing many Pakistanis to react with fury. Fact: The alleged incident occurred in 2017 and is not recent. On 25 October 2021, Urdu-language Pakistani newspaper Daily Ausaf published a news story with the following headline: “10سالہ نوعمر لڑکا اور 21سالہ جوان لڑکی۔۔۔پاکستان کے بڑے […]
Claim: A photograph shows the oldest tree in the world, a 6,000 year old giant tree in Tanzania. Fact: To date, no tree in the world has been verified to be 6,000 or more years old. The oldest living non-clonal tree on record is a more than 4,800-year-old bristlecone pine called ‘Methuselah’ in the Inyo […]
Claim: The PKR 5,000 note will be discontinued and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced the date that this move will take place. Fact: The SBP has not announced a decision to discontinue the PKR 5,000 banknote and, in fact, has no plans to do so in the future. In an email to […]
Claim: The Government of Sindh has announced a public holiday on 4 November. Fact: The Sindh government has indeed announced that 4 November will be a holiday to mark the annual Diwali festival. However, the holiday applies only to Hindu employees of the provincial government. On 1 November 2021, claims that the Government of Sindh […]
Claim: A private bank shut down a transgender activist’s newly-opened account, claiming that her income did not comply with Shariah laws. Fact: The incident did occur but it dates back to January 2021; some websites have picked up the story and rehashed it as a new incident. News media website Pak 92 News on 29 […]
Claim: The cover of The Economist’s 9 October Asia edition features an image of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, accompanied by text stating, “Imran Khan Will Win The Next Elections.” Fact: The Economist never published such a cover and the image appears to be doctored. The text on the cover seems to have been taken […]