Claim: Aviation Minister, Khwaja Saad Rafique announced in the National Assembly that Islamabad Airport will be outsourced for 15 years. Fact: While plans are being made to outsource the Islamabad Airport, the bidding process is currently set to start in March 2023. Moreover, the national assembly is not in session, and Khwaja Saad Rafique is […]
Claim: An image attributed to Dunya News suggests that the former finance minister, Miftah Ismail said that the IMF bailout money was given to the media and PDM members instead of providing relief to the public. Fact: Ismail issued a clarification that he did not give any such statement. The screenshot shared by journalist Imran […]
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: The Pakistani government has asked all banks to stop accepting donations for Palestine. A leaked internal memo from Bank Alfalah is being used to claim that the bank does not accept donations for the account of the Palestinian government. Fact: The Pakistani government has not asked banks to stop accepting donations for Palestine. Donations […]
Claim: Amartya Sen has died. Fact: Amartya Sen has not died; his daughter has denied reports. On 10 October 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user @profCGoldin announced (archive) that Amartya Sen — a renowned Indian economist and Nobel laureate — had died. “A terrible news. My dearest Professor Amartya Sen has died minutes ago. No words,” […]
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: The caretaker government has issued a Rs 300 banknote for the people of Pakistan. Fact: SBP Representative clarifies that this is fake news and no such banknote has been issued. On 13 September 2023, a Twitter user shared an image of a PKR 300 banknote claiming that the State Bank of Pakistan had issued […]
Claim: A viral WhatsApp message claims that Pakistani currency notes in denominations of 500, 1000, or 5000 rupees bearing serial numbers beginning with AF, CE, or HO are counterfeit. It further suggests that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has released a press statement to alert the public. Fact: The claim is false. A representative […]
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: Capital TV ran news that the IMF has issued a “Big Statement” over the protests against the higher electricity bills across Pakistan, demanding the rich be taxed and poor be provided subsidies. Fact: The IMF has not issued any statement regarding the electricity protests in Pakistan as of now. The video in question is, […]
Claim: Anchor Fiza Riaz says a litre of petrol costs 173.9 Canadian dollars in Canada. Fact: Petrol prices in Canada are listed in cents per litre; the anchor has falsely portrayed the price as extremely high when compared to those in Pakistan. On 13 August 2023, Fiza Riaz — the host of PNN News’ morning […]
Claim: Pakistan is in the final stages of signing a billion-dollar-plus defence sale to a Middle Eastern country. Fact: The claim is false. Unlike other deals with Myanmar, Nigeria and Argentina in the past, there is no reported and verified news that a deal has been initiated, and no Middle Eastern stakeholders have formally […]