The AFP Fact Check revealed recent fake news being circulated on social media across Pakistan. The publication has outlined the news leads and gave details to enlighten the citizens.
This image shows a US mosque where a fire broke out in 2019
A photo has been shared in multiple Facebook and Twitter posts that claim it shows a mosque set on fire by “extremists” in France.
The claim is false: the image shows a mosque in the US state of Connecticut where a fire broke out in 2019.
Radical Pakistan party leader misleadingly claims praying at Muslim shrine can cure Covid-19
A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple social media posts that shows the leader of a Pakistan extremist party encouraging people to pray at a notable Muslim shrine in the city of Lahore so they can be “healed” from Covid-19. The claim is misleading: there is no credible evidence that prayer can cure Covid-19.
International health experts have previously warned against mass gatherings over fears they could exacerbate the spread of Covid-19.
Read more: Top UN official slams “despicable” vandalism of mosque in France
Old video of Pakistan PM Khan circulates alongside false claim about 2021 extremist party protests
A video of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been viewed more than four million times on Facebook alongside a claim that it shows him condemning protests against a Pakistan extremist party leader’s arrest in April 2021. The claim is false: the video shows Khan giving a speech in October 2018. In the speech, he condemned a different protest by supporters of the same extremist party.
The six-minute 49-second video was shared in this Facebook post on April 13, 2021. It has been viewed more than four million times.
Old photo of burning rickshaw resurfaces online in false posts about protests in Pakistan
A photo of a burning motorcycle rickshaw has been shared in multiple Facebook posts which claim it was set ablaze during protests in Pakistan in 2021. The claim is false: the photo has circulated online since at least 2018 in reports about a different protest.
The photo has been shared more than 500 times in this Facebook post since April 13, 2021.
False claim circulates alongside video of man detained at Mecca’s Grand Mosque
A video has circulated online in Pakistan in 2021 alongside a claim it shows police at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site, shooting dead a Saudi dissident. The claim is false: the man was arrested after he wielded a knife and shouted support for “terrorist” groups, police told state media.
The video was shared in this Facebook post viewed more than 600,000 times since April 5, 2021.
This is a model of Prophet Mohammed’s tomb from a museum in Saudi Arabia
A photo has been shared thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim it shows the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed. The claim is false: the image shows a model of the tomb from the Dar Al-Madinah Museum in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The photo was posted here on April 8, 2021 by a Facebook page with more than 30,000 followers.
Read more: Billionaire Muslim brothers to build a ‘landmark’ mosque in UK
Pakistani social media users share debunked coronavirus myths
A video has been shared tens of thousands of times by Pakistani Facebook users that claims Italian doctors discovered Covid-19 is caused by a bacteria. The video goes on to claim the bacteria is somehow spread through the “poisonous waves of 5G”, causing an infection that is curable by taking paracetamol or aspirin. These claims are false, according to international health experts. Italy’s health ministry previously told AFP the claims were a “hoax” after they circulated online in the Philippines.
The video was posted here on Facebook on April 3, 2021.
Facebook posts falsely claim Pakistani politician called ‘maid’s daughter’ in parliament
A video of a Pakistani female lawmaker speaking in parliament has been viewed more than four million times and shared tens and thousands of times in Facebook posts that claim that she was insulted by the speaker who called her “the daughter of a maid”. The claim is false: various television broadcasts and a transcript of the session show the speaker did not use any such words.
The 12-minute video was shared in this Facebook post on February 10, 2021. It has since been viewed more than 2.7 million times.