CLAIM: Based on an anonymous tip, a Facebook page with 93,000 followers posted an alleged witness account claiming there are 745 registered cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi. FACT: According to the World Health Organisation, the most reliable source for information regarding confirmed cases of COVID-19, there […]
CLAIM: Chinese officials are on standby with 100,000 “duck troops” to assist in Pakistan’s national locust emergency, Chinese experts recommend the use of ducks in Pakistan over pesticides and other methods FACT: Zhang Long, part of the delegation of Chinese experts sent to Pakistan to assist in the locust emergency, rejected the report that China […]
Claim: Rumours are spreading on social media claiming Pakistan’s first confirmed coronavirus patient has been released from Aga Khan University Hospital. Fact: The patient is still admitted at Aga Khan University Hospital. Social media has been inundated with misinformation and disinformation since news of the 2019 Novel coronavirus outbreak spread in December 2019. On 26 […]
CLAIM: Pakistan is manufacturing a cure for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus and exporting it to China in large quantities. FACT: Although some researchers believe a drug called Chloroquine Phosphate could help treat the disease, on 20 February 2020, Dr. Janet Diaz, lead for clinical case management in the WHO Health Emergencies program, said there is […]
Claim: FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi has resigned.Fact: Shabbar Zaidi has not resigned, but he may have to step down due to poor health. On Tuesday 11 February, social media posts and news reports spread claiming that Shabbar Zaidi has resigned from his position as Chairman of the Federal Bureau of Revenues (FBR). The words […]
Claim: 2019 Novel Coronavirus can be cured by consuming a bowl of freshly boiled garlic water. Fact: There is no evidence to support this claim. Verdict: Mostly False The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus a global emergency. As of January 3, 2020, at least 304 people have […]
Claim: The Chinese government and Pakistan Embassy are fulfilling the needs of Pakistani students quarantined in China. Fact: Many students are not being taken care of and have not been provided meals. Moreover, the Pakistani embassy in Wuhan is not cooperating or answering their calls. Verdict: Mostly false The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared […]
What is coronavirus? A coronavirus is a common organism that causes an infection in the nose, sinus or upper throat. The novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new coronavirus that has not been identified previously. 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. According to the Centers […]
CLAIM: Deceased Pashtun poet and academic Arman Loni was an Afghan immigrant. FACT: Although Pashtuns can be referred to as ethnically ‘Afghan’, Arman Loni was born in Pakistan and is therefore not an immigrant. VERDICT: False The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) was once again trending on Twitter on Sunday, January 12, after the Pashtun Long March […]
Claim: Twitter user Tarek Fatah tweeted a video and claimed it depicted a woman yelling at a polio worker and refusing to give her children polio drops. Fact: The video is actually a clip from the movie Load Wedding. On 15 January 2020, Canadian Pakistani journalist Tarek Fatah, shared a video showing a woman standing […]