Claim: A picture shows the father of PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, standing handcuffed after being arrested for stealing a buffalo. Fact: The picture actually shows the late Kashmiri separatist leader Maqbool Bhat, who was arrested in 1976 and executed on 11 February 1984. On 27 January 2024, Facebook user ‘Kamred Aslam Khaskheli’ […]
Claim: Khawaja Asif had ink thrown on him as a warning ahead of Nawaz Sharif’s return on 21 October. Fact: The video is more than five years old and does not show a recent attack on Khawaja Asif. On 29 September 2023, the Facebook user ‘پھول نگر واچ’ posted a video (archive) showing Khawaja Muhammad […]
Claim: A schedule shows a cancelled flight of Nawaz Sharif’s from the UK to Pakistan. Fact: The image is doctored. Moreover, the picture shows PK-785, a PIA flight, which cannot possibly fly because the airline is banned from travelling to and from the UK and the EU. On 15 September 2023, X (formerly Twitter) user […]
Claim: A picture shows Nawaz Sharif walking with the judge, Humayun Dilawar. A similar post claims the image depicts Sharif walking with the late judge, Arshad Malik. Fact: The man walking alongside Nawaz Sharif is journalist Kousar Kazmi, not Dilawar or Malik, the latter of whom has passed away. On 18 August 2023, Soch Fact […]
Claim: A social media user shares a video clip of Mahira Khan and states a longer video contains sensitive content. Fact: The video, which is actually behind-the-scenes footage shot by a makeup artist, shows Mahira Khan having a light-hearted conversation with her team and stating that she’s hungry. On 8 August 2023, Twitter user @ssgviews […]
Claim: The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) has launched a programme in collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service for Pakistani students to get the chance to study at universities in Germany on scholarship. Fact: The DAAD’s Islamabad office has said they do not “have any ongoing collaboration linked to the PMY Programme” at present. […]
Claim: The Sharif family stole expensive cutlery from a Saudi hotel, says the hotel’s management. Fact: No such claim was made by the hotel management. The screenshots of 92 News and BBC News headlines claiming so are doctored. On 27 April 2023, a Twitter user posted four photos of news headlines purportedly from 92 News […]
Claim: An image of Nawaz Sharif and King Muhammed Bin Salman is from Sharif’s Ramzan visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fact: The image is from 2017, when Nawaz Sharif visited King Salman as the prime minister of Pakistan. On 21 April 2023, the Instagram account (@pakobserver) shared an image of King Salman of […]
Claim: A screengrab of a television show suggests that the authorities in Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have turned down former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s request for a meeting during his recent visit to the kingdom. Fact: The screengrab is doctored. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted on 21 April 2023 that the Pakistan […]
Claim: A video shows a large group of PTI protesters outside Avenfield House following the arrest of Imran Khan. Fact: The video is old and has nothing to do with Khan’s arrest. On 10 May 2023, Twitter user Faisal Khan, with the handle @KaliwalYam, posted a video (archive) allegedly showing a large group of Pakistan […]
Claim: Passengers refused to travel with Nawaz Sharif in an airplane Fact: A doctored screenshot falsely claims that journalist Rana Waheed reported that passengers refused to travel with Nawaz Sharif. Rana Waheed clarified that he did not report this. On 11 April 2023, a pro-PTI Twitter account posted a tweet sharing a screenshot which claims […]
Claim: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has announced they will boycott elections in Punjab, which were scheduled to be held on 14 May 2023 as per court orders. Fact: PML-N has not announced a boycott of the upcoming Punjab elections. Fact or Fiction? On 20 April 2023, the Facebook page Pakistantopup shared a claim that […]