Claim: A picture shows a participant of Aurat March 2022 carrying a placard with text that reads, “God please give me a penis I want to rape men.” Fact: The image is originally from 2018 and the text has been edited onto it. The poster, in fact, featured text that read, “Girls Just Wanna Have […]
Claim: A picture shows a woman participating in Aurat March holding a poster that reads, “Real men don’t rape and real women don’t expose body.” Fact: The photo is, in fact, from protests connected to the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case in India. The photo appears to be doctored as the text, “and real women don’t […]
Claim: A large majority of Pakistanis believe that Aurat March should be banned, according to a survey. Fact: A Twitter poll about Aurat March carried out by talk show host Maleeha Hashmey, who is known for her right-wing, conservative views, is being shared as a representative survey by various news outlets. The poll cannot be […]
Claim: On the day a local court handed down the judgment sentencing Zahir Jaffer to death for the murder of Noor Mukadam, BBC News published a story titled, “Noor Muqaddam: Diplomat’s daughter beheaded for spurning proposal.” Fact: Noor Mukadam was found dead at Zahir Jaffer’s home in July 2021. The BBC News headline is misleading […]
Claim: An elderly woman on February 4 died after being injured in a crowd of people lined up to get sugar. Fact: The photo of the elderly woman is, in fact, from 2009. On 4 February 2022, Twitter user @iqra_k12 shared the picture of an elderly woman holding a white bag while standing in a […]
Claim: Russian President Vladimir Putin told the media that he would “visit Pakistan to sign a major oil pipeline deal”. Fact: Vladimir Putin did not tell the media he will visit Pakistan to sign an oil pipeline deal. Fact vs Fiction On 27 February, a video of Vladimir Putin speaking to the press in Russian […]
Claim: A photo shows former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator Sehar Kamran alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. Fact: Kamran is not currently in Russia. While Kamran did take a selfie with Putin in 2018, a doctored photo of the two is currently going viral. On 23 February 2022, Twitter user @Zakr1a shared a photo of […]
Claim: In a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid tribute to 190 soldiers martyred during a four-day battle in the Noshki and Panjgur areas of Balochistan, requested a pay raise for the Frontier Corps (FC) and Rangers personnel, and asked for proper compensation for the martyrs’ families. […]
Claim: Lay’s chips sold in Pakistan contain a food additive derived from pork, making them unsuitable for Muslims. Fact: Lay’s Pakistan’s chips contain the additive E631, which is derived from plants not animal fat. The chips do not contain any pork. Fact or Fiction? On 30 January 2022, Facebook user Shah Baba shared a video […]
Claim: According to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the tax rate is now 0%. Fact: The prime minister did not say the tax rate is now 0%. Rather, while speaking at the launch of an e-commerce portal on 21 February 2022, Khan said that registered IT freelancers will be exempt from all forms of tax. Fact […]
Claim: The Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) draws a salary of PKR 15 million per month. Fact: The current SBP governor, Dr Reza Baqir receives a monthly salary of PKR 2.5 million. Fact or Fiction? On 7 January 2022, a forwarded chain message was shared on WhatsApp stating that the Governor of […]
Claim: The Lahore District Court has issued arrest warrants for activist Leena Ghani and singer Meesha Shafi in a criminal defamation case registered under the cybercrime law by musician Ali Zafar. Zafar has accused Ghani and Shafi of running a ‘malicious campaign’ against him on social media. Fact: On 19 February 2022, the Lahore District […]