Claim: A GNN news clip shared on social media claims that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), General Rafael Mariano Grossi, is visiting Pakistan. Fact: The claim is misleading as the news is old. The actual news is from February 2023, when Grossi visited Pakistan. On 15 March 2024, a Facebook page, […]
Claim: Social media posts allege that Easypaisa will shut down its services in Pakistan after December 2023. Fact: The claim is false as Easypaisa is an independent financial institution, licensed and governed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). It will not be affected after Telenor is sold to PTCL. On 20 December 2023, a […]
Claim: A video shows American citizens protesting against Zara’s new campaign by throwing clothes outside the company’s outlet. Fact: The claim is misleading because the original video Vestiaire Collective created the video for their campaign “Fast Fashion Ban” urging consumers to think before buying from brands and promoting sustainable fashion practices. It was launched a […]
Claim: PKR 5,000 banknotes are being discontinued across Pakistan. Fact: Pakistan’s caretaker information minister has not confirmed a ban on the PKR 5000 banknote. However, when a lawmaker suggested that the PKR 5,000 banknotes should be discontinued, the minister indicated that such policy decisions should be made by the next Parliament. On 21 November 2023, […]
Claim: The SBP has warned people that funds upwards of PKR 500,000 kept in bank accounts are not safe anymore. Fact: This is false; the SBP never issued such a warning. A comment from a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has been falsely reported on. The central bank has said […]
Claim: Lahore’s population is more than Karachi according to the seventh digital census data. Fact: The city of Lahore has not surpassed Karachi’s population, but the Lahore division is the most populous division. The Lahore division comprises four Districts — Kasur, Lahore, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura. Fact or Fiction? On 8 August 2023, The Express […]
Claim: A notification by the Ministry of Finance claims that the 5000 rupees note will be banned in Pakistan from 30 September 2023. Fact: This news is false as no such notification has been issued by the Finance division. On 7 September 2023, a notification started circulating on social media that reads, “the Federal Government […]
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: People in Pakistan can get free petrol for their cars after the discovery of a grand, new petrol reserve in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Fact: The reserve was in fact discovered in July 2021 and the specifics of the discovery differ slightly from what is claimed in the news piece. On 30 September 2021, […]