Claim: Photos show Saudi Aramco’s new petrol station in Pakistan, with some posts stating it is located in Islamabad. Fact: The energy giant has not opened a new petrol station anywhere in Pakistan yet. A top official of Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd told Soch Fact Check that a number of Aramco stations are slated […]
Claim: PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has demolished the Imran Khan enclosure at Gaddafi Stadium and removed Khan’s photographs, shoes, and other possessions from the stadium’s gallery. Fact: The Imran Khan enclosure at Gaddafi Stadium is being renovated to improve seating facilities. There is no evidence to suggest the former prime minister’s possessions have been removed […]
Claim: A group of statues in Bangladesh’s Mujibnagar Memorial Complex, commemorating the signing of the Instrument of Surrender between India and Pakistan in 1971, was “demolished” during the 2024 protests. Fact: The statues in question were not “demolished” but just slightly damaged, according to evidence from news and video reports. A fact-checker in Bangladesh also […]
Claim: A viral message warns Pakistani people against conducting any online transactions as ATMs will remain closed for the next two to three days after a ransomware cyberattack in the country. It advises people not to open a video clip called the “Dance of the Hillary,” which is a virus that wipes one’s mobile phone […]
Claim: The Pakistan Students Federation has demanded Imran Khan’s release by 30 August and warned of protests if their demand is not met. Fact: The Pakistan Students Federation does not exist. The warning actually came from the Insaf Students Federation. On 8 August, the Instagram account @theverified.pk posted a photo with the caption: “Pakistan Students […]
Claim: Federal Urdu University awarded Arshad Nadeem with Rs2,000. Fact: Foundation Public School awarded Arshad Nadeem with Rs2,000,000 in September 2023. On 15 August 2024, Soch Fact Check received a photograph via WhatsApp showing Arshad Nadeem receiving a cheque for Rs2,000 from Federal Urdu University. This claim appears to have originated from a photograph (archive) […]
Claim: Natasha Danish Iqbal, who is responsible for the accident on Karsaz Road, is on the board of directors of Metro Power Group. Fact: The culprit in the Karsaz road accident is not on Metro Power Group’s board of directors. Following the accident on Karsaz road in Karachi on 19 August, a user shared a […]
Claim: A man in Faisalabad took his clothes off to protest the increasing prices of electricity across the country. Fact: The photos are from 2017. News reports from that time did not link the man’s action to rising electricity prices. On 5 July 2024, Dr Shahbaz Gill — an aide to former prime minister and […]
Claim: Jibran Nasir, civil rights activist and lawyer was beaten and arrested recently by South police on the instructions of Justice Faisal Kamal of Sindh High Court. Fact: On 2 July 2018, Jibran Nasir was temporarily detained following an incident in which he allegedly refused to give way to the convoy of Sindh High Court […]
Claim: An interim statement by the Commonwealth Observers Group, published on 10 February 2024, characterised the Pakistani general election held on 8 February 2024 as “generally managed efficiently” in “a largely peaceful environment”.
Claim: Fiverr has been banned in Pakistan. Fact: Fiverr has not been banned, nor has it suspended its services in Pakistan. The platform briefly flagged some Pakistani freelancers’ accounts in August 2024, owing to the ongoing Internet slowdown, but a company spokesperson has confirmed that most of them “have now returned to normal”. On 15 […]
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) […]