Pakistan

Onlookers did not chant ‘Jiye Bhutto’ during Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to Medina
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Khawar Maneka did not perform Umrah with Imran Khan
Viral post misidentifies Pakistani diplomat Shehryar Akbar Khan as Khawar Maneka, ex-husband of Bushra Khan
By
Sameen Aziz

Viral post about rivalry between Puran Mal and Aurangzeb Alamgir is false
Collage of pictures accompanied by claim that Rajput ruler defeated Mughal emperor thrice
By
Sameen Aziz

Assange cartoon doctored to insult Sharif government
Cartoon originally published by Mint linked to defunct American magazine
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Turkey has not changed visa policy for Pakistanis
Media pages share misleading reports after four Nepalis were abducted by Pakistani men in Turkey
By
Sameen Aziz

Video of Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with singer Farhan NFT is from last year
Sharif met the singer in 2021
By
Editorial Team

Image of Imran Khan sitting down during 2019 conference reshared with false claim about former Israeli PM
Photos and videos of the former PM are going viral on social media with the claim that he did not stand up to greet the former Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu during an international conference
By
Editorial Team

Waziristan was not struck by drone attack on 10 April 2022
North Waziristan Deputy Commissioner clarifies no such attack occurred
By
Nizamuddin Khan

Old photo linked with claims of fresh fuel crisis in Pakistan
The photo is from 2015.
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Photo of protest against Imran Khan’s removal edited to make crowd appear larger
Clear digital cloning errors visible in the image
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Karachi has not reported a rare case of ectopic pregnancy in teeth
Viral post was shared as a joke on a Russian website in 2018
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Image of PTI Lahore rally is from April 2018, not April 2022
The image allegedly shows people rallying in support of ousted former Prime Minister Imran Khan
By
Sameen Aziz

Doctored video shows people chanting ‘You’re a thief’ at PM Shahbaz Sharif
Sharif visited a Ramzan bazaar in Lahore
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Viral image of distraught woman is not from 2022 Dadu fire
Image is actually from a fire in Lalu Raunk in 2018
By
Haseem uz Zaman and Manesh Kumar

Fake write-up defending Imran Khan attributed to Pakistani jurist
Note allegedly written by Justice (r) Nasira Javed Iqbal supports Imran Khan’s claims of foreign interference
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Misleading claim about Sehat Cards go viral
The Sehat Sahulat Programme has not been halted across Pakistan
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Imran Khan’s picture edited onto 2017 Turkey protest poster
Picture goes viral amid protests against Khan’s ouster
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Pakistani diaspora did not withdraw $8 billion from the country after Imran Khan’s ouster
State Bank of Pakistan debunked false claims about withdrawals from Roshan Digital Accounts
By
Sameen Aziz

Ertugrul actor did not call Imran Khan to show his support
Tweets about political turmoil in Pakistan wrongly attributed to actor Engin Altan
By
Sameen Aziz

Claims about new online voting system for overseas Pakistanis are false
NADRA rejected claims about online system for overseas voting
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

No, US President Joe Biden did not celebrate Imran Khan’s ouster
Video shared as proof of claims of American interference in Pakistan
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Imran Khan’s message was not displayed on Burj Khalifa
The landmark has never displayed images of Khan.
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Pervaiz Khattak did not abuse journalists in Parliament elevator
Viral video shows former NA speaker Asad Qaiser using the B-word
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Misleading Dawn headline fuels confusion around ECP statement on early elections
Media reports say not possible for ECP to hold elections within 3 months
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Video allegedly showing Maryam Nawaz intoxicated is doctored
Facebook user claiming to work for Meta first posted the doctored video
By
Nizamuddin Khan

Pakistan does not have the lowest unemployment rate in South Asia
Bhutan outranked other countries with an unemployment rate of 3.6% in 2020.
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Imran Khan did not say Pakistan Army ‘is upset with me’
Doctored image comes amid talks of a no-confidence vote against Khan
By
Nizamuddin Khan

Pakistani columnist shares fake letter claiming American NGO is funding Opposition parties
Letter claims NGO advised against sending Pakistan an invite for a democracy moot
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Snippets of overseas Pakistani woman’s interview from 2021 shared as local resident’ views
Video also shared by special assistant to Khan to bolster agenda
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Power division has not announced zero load-shedding policy for all of Ramzan
The zero load-shedding policy will apply only to select timings around Sehri, Iftar and Taraweeh prayers
By
Sameen Aziz

Video claiming ‘participant’ spoke against Aurat March is actually of a journalist
Maryam Ikram, the woman in question, is a TV show host and anchorperson
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Misleading reports about LSDV in cattle cause panic across Pakistan
LSDV cannot infect humans but leads to weight and milk loss in cattle
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Video shows alleged pir performing exorcism, not forced conversion
Peshawar police arrested the alleged pir in 2020 and 2021.
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Aleem Khan has not joined PML-N
Twitter account @abdulaleem_1 does not belong to Aleem Khan
By
Nizamuddin Khan

PM Imran Khan did not praise Indian Army
Khan’s quote regarding India’s foreign policy has been misrepresented.
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

PTA did not share cell phone data traffic analysis related to Islamabad on 27 March 2022
Posts on social media falsely cite PTA as their official source
By
Sameen Aziz

Image of crashed Indian missile mistaken as PAF training aircraft
Misinformation circulating on social media after a missile crashed near Mian Channu
By
Sameen Aziz

Reports on crashed PAF trainer aircraft carry misleading images
News published by multiple outlets in Pakistan and India carried images of unrelated aircraft
By
Nizamuddin Khan

Video does not show mother in Mianwali incident grieving for her dead daughter
Video of a woman being held on remand shared with false information on Facebook
By
Sameen Aziz

Five men convicted in Usman Mirza case not six
The convicts, in fact, were five including Usman Mirza.
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Clickbait report wrongly accuses Aurat March organizers of harassing journalists
Male anchor without media pass denied entry
By
Sameen Aziz

Posts wrongly claim viruses infected poultry in southern Pakistan
Viral posts mention Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Poster from Aurat March edited with joke about Gujranwala
Original text on poster is a meme that highlights gender pay gap
By
Haseem uz Zaman

The government has not announced a three-day public holiday across Pakistan
The announcement applies only to Islamabad due to the OIC Conference
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Posts carry Pakistan Embassy Algeria’s hacked account’s tweet as news
The tweet is about the evacuation of Pakistani students from Ukraine
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Video of grief-stricken father is from Kashmir not Peshawar blast
An old video of a grieving father is being reshared in light of the Peshawar blast
By
Sameen Aziz

No, Pakistan has not imposed economic sanctions on Russia
Media outlets published satirical piece about Pakistan imposing sanctions on Russia as real news
By
Sameen Aziz

Text about sexually assaulting men edited onto Aurat March poster
Poster originally from 2018 Aurat March is in fact about fundamental rights
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Doctored poster from India shared in Pakistan on International Women’s Day
Poster from 2012 Nirbhaya protests alleged to be from Aurat March
By
Haseem uz Zaman

No, a majority of Pakistanis do not think Aurat March should be banned
Twitter poll by right-wing talk show host passed off as authentic survey
By
Haseem uz Zaman

BBC News publishes story with misleading headline in Noor Mukadam case
Outlet shares headline apparently breaking the news of Mukadam’s death on day of her killer’s sentencing
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Picture of distraught elderly woman in line to buy sugar is actually from 2009
Photo likely reshared due to rising inflation at present in Pakistan
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Doctored picture of politician of ‘Grape’ fame with Russia’s Putin goes viral again
Former senator Sehar Kamran is not currently in Russia
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Rashid Khan will not play in the PSL 2022 final
The cricketer represents Lahore Qalandars in the league
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Fake letter to Imran Khan linked to Pakistan Army Chief Gen Bajwa
Letter claims Gen Bajwa acknowledged ‘all 190 martyrs of Noshki and Panjgur’
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Lay’s snacks sold in Pakistan do not contain pork
The food additive E631 found in the products is derived from plants
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

PM Imran Khan did not say tax rate is now zero percent
He said that registered IT freelancers will be exempt from all forms of tax
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Posts carry misleading claims about State Bank of Pakistan chief’s salary
Posts claim SBP chief receives a monthly salary of PKR 15 million
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Lahore court did not issue an arrest warrant for Leena Ghani
Ghani has been accused of running a social media smear campaign against Ali Zafar
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Top Pakistani TV channels carry parody account’s tweet as news
They attributed a fake tweet to Finance Ministry spokesperson Muzzammil Aslam
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig and Haseem uz Zaman

Muzaffargarh Police did not force a couple to get married on Valentine’s Day
Social media posts shared false information about SHO Iftikhar Malkani’s recent police raid
By
Sameen Aziz

Valentine’s Day notifications by Pakistani universities are fake
All universities confirm no Valentine’s Day instructions issued
By
Haseem uz Zaman and Sameen Aziz

3-year-old report about PTI leader Iftikhar Ahmed Lund reshared on social media
Newspaper clipping of the news report reshared by renowned journalist
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Video from Sri Lankan university wrongly described as showing persecution of Muslims in India
Clip first circulated on Pakistani social media in 2019 and has now resurfaced
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Posts wrongly claim Peshawar BRT won Sustainable Transport Award 2022
Peshawar BRT bagged the second honourable mention
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Video of elderly woman protesting in Lahore was not shot in January 2022
Clip shared is from January 2021
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Bill Gates did not say COVID-19 ‘is a farce’ or call for the withdrawal of vaccines
Satirical piece from August 2021 being circulated as authentic ‘confession’ in WhatsApp forwards
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Lahore is not the centre of the Coronavirus Omicron variant in Pakistan
Some other cities have a higher COVID-19 positivity rate than Lahore
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Punjab has made caps, scarves mandatory in Quran classes only
Change applicable to Muslim students attending Quran recitation and teaching classes
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Reports make misleading claims about indoor dining ban in Pakistan
The ban is in place in cities with a COVID-19 positivity rate over 10%
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Don’t thank Nawaz Sharif! Scenic bridge in viral photo is in Austria, not Pakistan
Caption accompanying photo of bridge includes words of gratitude to PML-N supremo
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Posts wrongly claim video depicts Taliban destroying phones in Afghanistan
The video is from a destruction ceremony held by Pakistan Customs
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Reports make misleading claims about school closure in Sindh amidst COVID wave
The provincial govt says decisions to be taken in line with recommendations of the NCOC
By
Hamna Iqbal Baig

Video of excavator crane crashing was not shot in Murree in January 2022
Clip shared in aftermath of Murree tragedy is from Malam Jabba and was shot in 2020
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Snow-covered bison in viral photograph is not from Gilgit-Baltistan
The photograph was actually taken by Tom Murphy in Yellowstone National Park in the United States
By
Haseem uz Zaman

GCU did not collaborate with Walled City of Lahore on Harry Potter Festival
Outlet previously flagged for misleading news again shares unverified reports
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Visa-free entry for Pakistanis into Belarus comes with prerequisites
The European country recently announced a change in the visa system for Pakistanis
By
Haseem uz Zaman

EIU food security data cherry-picked to show ruling PTI in positive light
Global Food Security Index data compiled by the EIU used to falsely claim Pakistan’s ranking improved by three places
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Bogus gas supply schedule makes rounds on social media
Fake schedule causes worry among Pakistanis
By
Haseem uz Zaman

Tortoise in viral image is not world’s oldest known land animal Jonathan
She’s a half-century old Galápagos Giant Tortoise known as ‘A11’ who resides in Australia’s Taronga Zoo
By
Haseem uz Zaman

National Savings has not announced any ‘good news’ for elderly pensioners
Reports characterising National Savings rate hikes as recent development are misleading as figures indicate July 2020 announcement is rehashed
By
Haseem uz Zaman