Claim: Trump has agreed to recognise the government of Afghanistan. Fact: The claim is false. While recent diplomatic engagements have taken place, these do not amount to formal recognition of the Taliban government. There are no credible news reports or official statements from the Trump administration confirming that it has recognised or plans to recognise […]
Claim: Video shows the Pakistan Army opening fire at the Afghan Taliban. Fact: The video is at least a decade old and is likely from Yemen. It is entirely unrelated to the recent cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. On 20 February, an X user posted a video (archive) purportedly showing the Pakistani army attacking […]
Claim: A video shows a Pakistan Air Force helicopter shot down by the Afghan Taliban along the disputed Durand line. Fact: The claim is false as the video is from September 2023 and shows a Pakistan Navy helicopter crashing due to a mechanical fault. On 28 December 2024, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted […]
Claim: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants beheaded a Shia citizen in Parachinar. Fact: The video of a man being beheaded appeared on X on 12 May 2024, with some claims suggesting that it originated from Afghanistan. It has been shared in different contexts since. On 29 July 2024, a user on X posted a video (archive) […]
Claim: A video on social media shows Afghan forces shooting down a Pakistan Army helicopter. Fact: The claim is false because the video shows Kurdish militants shooting at a Turkish helicopter in 2016. On 15 May 2024, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video with the caption, “Afghan forces shot down Pakistan Army […]
Claim: A video shows a protest in Kabul after Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s recent visit to Afghanistan. Fact: The claim is false as the video is from 2015 when the public in Kabul protested against Maulana Fazlur Rehman after he visited the President of Afghanistan at the time, Ashraf Ghani. On 9 January 2024, a video […]
Claim: Media outlets published a news story claiming that the Afghan foreign ministry issued an advisory for their citizens urging them to avoid travelling to Pakistan due to political uncertainty and violence. Fact: The claim is false, no advisory has been issued recently. The advisory that has been shared online is from May 2023, when […]
Claim: A photo shows the badly-bruised back of a female PTI supporter who was tortured in custody following a government crackdown on the party in response to protests over Imran Khan’s arrest. Fact: The image shows the back of a woman who was tortured at a dance event in Peshawar in 2021. It is unrelated […]
Claim: A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) press release says all political parties should vote for PTI in upcoming elections in Punjab and KP. Fact: The claim is false; the TTP has not expressed support for a PTI-led government. TTP’s statement says they will not target political rallies, parties, processions, and polling stations during the upcoming general […]
Claim: A social media video shows Baloch students chanting and demanding freedom from Pakistan. Fact: The claim is false. The video is from the University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where students protested against the ban on women’s education in Afghanistan. On 10 January 2023, a Twitter account posted a video with the caption, “We demand […]
Claim: Social media posts claim that Pakistani forces launched air strikes against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Fact: The claim is false. Pakistan’s Foreign Office denied the attacks; similarly, the Taliban have not confirmed any air strikes by Pakistan. On 5 January 2022, a Twitter page Regional Security Advisory posted […]
Claim: Pakistan is shutting down its consulate in Kandahar, Afghanistan, to protest against the Taliban government. Fact: The official Twitter account of the Consulate General of Pakistan, Kandahar, was hacked on 2 December 2022. The hacked account tweeted the false claim that the consulate would shut down for two days to protest against the Taliban […]