Claim: The Epstein Files reveal that Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai wanted to empower underage girls by handing them over to child abusers for money and that she was also asked to source them from Swat and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Moreover, her non-profit, Malala Fund, has been discredited as its name appears in the […]
Claim: A video shows a PTI supporter claiming he would give up his wife and daughters for Imran Khan. Fact: The viral clip is AI-generated and does not depict real events. On 21 January, a Facebook user shared a video with the following caption: “اینکر اگر اپ سے عمران خان اپکی دونوں بیٹیاں مانگے تو […]
Author: Shameneh Majid Claim: Karachi’s Dolmen Mall Clifton is permanently closed as of January 2026. Fact: The supermarket Carrefour, located in Dolmen Mall Clifton, shut down operations on 31 January 2026. Social media page Voiceup Pakistan posted about the closure of Dolmen Mall Clifton, a landmark retail center near Sea View, Karachi, which has been […]
Claim: A video shows a soldier praising his commander amid the recent attacks across Balochistan. Fact: The viral clip is likely AI-generated. Following the recent wave of deadly attacks across Balochistan, a clip of a Pakistan Army soldier praising his commander was shared online. The video, which shows the soldier acknowledging that a “mission” was […]
Claim: A video shows a robber suffering a heart attack while attempting to steal from a shopkeeper during his prayers. Fact: The video is likely scripted and does not represent a real incident. On 8 January, a video showing an armed robbery attempt was shared widely online. It shows a robber stealing from a shop […]
Claim: During a podcast, former cricketer Wasim Akram said Imran Khan travelled to Jeffrey Epstein’s island with the convicted sex offender and Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell and that this was mentioned in the “Epstein Files.” Fact: The claim is false. While Wasim Akram did recount a trip to an island in South America with Imran […]
Claim: A viral video shows Pakistan’s defence chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, making shocking remarks about the Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos during the country’s May 2025 war with India, saying, “We made fools out of Pakistani citizens.” Fact: An AI-generated deepfake audio was likely overlaid onto footage from Field Marshal Asim Munir’s address at the National […]
Author: Shameneh Majid Claim: A few videos and images on social media show Lahore experiencing snowfall in January 2026. Fact: The photos and videos in question actually depict the aftermath of a hailstorm. Lahore did not experience snowfall. Social media users have taken to sharing photos, videos, and posts depicting visuals of snowfall […]
Author: Shameneh Majid Claim: China says it will support Iran in case of an imminent US-Iran war. Fact: The claim is false. China is a long-standing trading partner of Iran and shares a positive diplomatic relationship. However, no officials have offered open support for Iran in the scenario of a US-Iran war. On 17 […]
Claim: A video on social media shows a young girl in Pakistan being forcefully married to a 40 year old man. Fact: The claim is false as the video is actually from Bangladesh. Since 2023, the video has been shared in different contexts, ranging from forced marriage to forced divorce and workplace disputes. On 24 […]
Claim: A video shows children from the Tirah Valley in thin, worn-out clothes standing and shivering in an open area amid heavy snowfall. They are among the thousands displaced due to an army operation in the area. Fact: The video was likely created using AI tools. In late January 2026, multiple social media users shared […]
Claim: Footage posted recently shows Iran’s drones over USS Abraham Lincoln in January 2026 amid a conflict between US and the Islamic Republic. Fact: The footage is unrelated to tensions between the US and Iran in January 2026 and, in fact, dates back to 2021. On 25 January 2026, Facebook page ‘Buzz Banter’ posted (archive) […]
Claim: The Punjab government issued a notification approving a PKR 40 million “special” grant for the “personal makeup” of two provincial ministers, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Azma Bokhari. Fact: No such notification was issued by the Punjab government. The document was generated using Google’s AI tools. On 19 January 2026, multiple social media users shared a […]
Claim: A viral video shows the arrest of six Indian nationals for rioting and vandalism amid ongoing anti-government protests in Iran. Fact: There is no evidence to suggest that the arrested individuals in the video are Indians. The video contains no verifiable identifiers establishing nationality, and the circumstances in which the video was recorded are […]
Claim: Lahore will receive snowfall during an upcoming cold spell, with some alleging sub-zero temperatures and “several inches” of snow between 16 January to 25 January 2026. Fact: The Pakistan Meteorological Department has dismissed viral claims of record-breaking cold and snowfall in Pakistan, and it has previously said that rumours about snowfall in the plains […]
Claim: A video shows an Iranian woman in Tehran removing her hijab in public to reveal a T-shirt with an explicit message against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, framed as a direct act of protest inside Iran. Fact: The video was filmed in Paris, France, not Iran. It shows a protest action during a […]
Claim: An image shows Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum in January 2026. Fact: The image is likely AI-generated. Moreover, the Israeli prime minister did not attend the 2026 event in Davos, Switzerland. On 21 January, an X user posted an image (archive) […]
Claim: A picture shows a shop selling kites, which are imprinted with an image of Information Minister Attaullah Tarar raising his middle finger while holding the Constitution of Pakistan. Fact: The image was generated using Google’s AI tools. On 29 January 2026, Facebook page ‘Sanam Javid PTI’ posted (archive) a photo of a worn-down shop […]
Claim: A video depicts recent protests in Iran. Fact: The video predates the recent nationwide protests in Iran. It surfaced online as early as November 2025, and likely originated in Greece. Several social media users posted a video purportedly showing the protests in Iran in January 2026. One such post shared the clip (archive) and […]
Claim: An image shows Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir addressing a recent Corps Commanders’ Conference while sitting behind bulletproof glass. Fact: The picture is fake. An authentic photo of Munir from the 273rd Corps Commanders’ Conference was manipulated using Google’s AI tools to depict him sitting behind bulletproof glass. On 27 December 2025, X (formerly […]
Claim: A video shows a Hindutva extremist man from India popping a Muslim child vendor’s balloons, raising concerns around minority rights in the country. Fact: The viral clip likely originates from Bangladesh, not India. Pakistan Observer, an English daily newspaper, shared a video on Facebook claiming it shows an Indian man popping the balloons being […]
Claim: A video shows Pakistan moving its troops to the south-western border to support a possible US military strike in Iran. Fact: The video predates the recent political turmoil in Iran. On 14 January, an X user posted a video (archive) purportedly showing Pakistan moving soldiers and military equipment to its southwestern border amid recent […]
Claim: During a recent speech, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the RSS and the Afghan Taliban follow the same ideology. He further added that Pakistan is a common enemy of India and Afghanistan and that the two countries must move forward together. Fact: The viral clip is altered. A review of the original […]
Claim: Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Pakistan for calling for stability and condemning foreign interference in Iran during the recent protests. Fact: The viral clip is manipulated. Baghaei did not mention Pakistan at any point in the original speech. Additionally, multiple AI-based deepfake detection tools and audio-visual forensic analysis found strong indicators that the […]
Claim: A video shows the funeral of 130 Pakistan Army soldiers killed in an August 2024 BLA attack dubbed ‘Operation Herof’. Fact: The clip predates the BLA attack in question. It actually shows a funeral of the police officers who were killed in a bandit attack in Rahim Yar Khan on 22 August 2024. On […]
Claim: Several clips show women from the Pakistan Army calling on people to join a rally in support of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Fact: The videos in question are AI-generated. A Facebook user posted a reel purportedly showing a female Pakistan Army soldier announcing that a peaceful protest will be held on 8 […]
Claim: A video shows a Pakistan Army soldier admitting that the people of Tirah Valley are facing injustice at the hands of the state. Fact: The clip is AI-generated. On 25 January, an X user who Soch Fact Check has consistently fact-checked in the past posted a video (archive) of a Pakistan Army soldier admitting […]
Claim: The Pakistani passport’s ranking has improved significantly from 126th to 98th within the last one year, according to the Federal Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Fact: From 2025 to 2026, the ranking jumped from 103 to 98 on the Henley Passport Index, suggesting no significant improvement. In fact, the number of countries allowing access to Pakistani […]
Claim: Bloomberg News has published an analysis of the PIA privatisation deal, particularly criticising Fauji Foundation’s 25% stake in the airline. Fact: Bloomberg News has not published any such analysis. On 13 January 2026, X (formerly Twitter) account @brief_pk posted (archive) a write-up about the privatisation deal of the country’s flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines […]
Claim: An image shows mannequins hanging outside a garment shop in Sindh in 2025. Fact: The image is neither from 2025 nor from Sindh. It actually depicts a shop in Yemen in 2020. On 31 December 2025, Facebook user ‘Asghar Ali’ posted (archive) a somewhat menacing picture of mannequins hanging outside a shop, with the […]