Claim: A video circulating on social media shows a large fire that broke out at a Pakistani power plant near Guddu, Sindh in July 2022. Fact: The video has been making rounds on social media since 2021 and in fact depicts a fire that broke out by Afghanistan’s largest trade crossing with Iran. On 15 […]
Claim: A video shows people raising the national flag of Afghanistan on a pedestrian bridge in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth neighbourhood during recent ethnic riots that flared up following the murder of Sindhi youth Bilal Kaka during a quarrel at a hotel. Fact: The video is in fact from August 2021 and shows people in Afghanistan’s […]
Claim: A video shared on social media shows people crying in the aftermath of an earthquake that struck Afghanistan in June 2022. Fact: The video was shared by multiple media outlets in 2021 and shows the Taliban celebrating after the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. On 23 June 2022, a video was shared […]
Claim: A photo of a damaged road depicts the aftermath of a powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan on 21 June 2022. Fact: The photo actually shows a large crack in the road arising from a major earthquake that hit Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), also known as Pakistan-administered Kashmir, in September 2019. Fact […]
Claim: The Government of Pakistan under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will soon allow the United States to use its airspace to carry out military operations in Afghanistan, according to a CNN report. Fact: The CNN article cited in viral claims is actually from October 2021. At that time, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to […]
Claim: News websites claim Anas Haqqani is Norway’s most wanted terrorist Fact: Anas Haqqani is not Norway’s most wanted terrorist. On 25 January 2022, a delegation of the Afghan Taliban visited Oslo, following which several news websites ran stories with the headline, “Norway shocked as its most wanted terrorist Anas Haqqani lands in Oslo.”This headline […]
Claim: A video doing the rounds on social media depicts the Taliban destroying mobile phones in Afghanistan. Fact: The video is not of the Taliban destroying mobile phones in Afghanistan but of Pakistan Customs’ officers destroying smuggled and contraband goods at a destruction ceremony in Karachi. Fact or Fiction: On 13 January 2022, Facebook page […]
Claim: In his speech at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting regarding Afghanistan held in Islamabad, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “Human rights and women rights are different.” Fact: Posts sharing the quote are misrepresenting Khan’s words and missing context; referring to Afghanistan, the prime minister actually said, […]
Claim: Viral video shows ‘magic’ stone from Afghanistan’s Wardak province that can melt metal. Fact: The video, in fact, shows nails made of gallium — a metal with a melting point of 29.76°C — melting moments after coming into contact with a rock, which was likely warm due to the hot weather. On 28 November […]
Claim: Afghan Taliban’s General Mobin said the national cricket team would not be permitted to play if they support the tri-coloured Afghan National Flag. Fact: General Mobeen did say the Afghan team would not be allowed to play if they kept sporting the Afghan national flag however, he has issued a statement on it saying […]
Claim: 1- The Taliban have confirmed the death of their supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada. 2- Akhunzada died last year in a suicide attack carried out by Pakistani forces. Fact: 1- The Taliban have not confirmed the death of their supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada. 2- The Pakistani State has endorsed a […]
Claim: Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the Panjshir conflict in Afghanistan. Fact: The proof posted on social media by former Indian Army officers was, in fact, a picture of Pakistani actors in a military movie. On 10 September, various former officers of the Indian Army posted updates from Afghanistan on their social media, sharing a […]