Wasi Anjum Mirza

News Verification

A collection of debunks and investigations into claims circulating online.

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Fact Check •

Video shows fans at football match in Morocco in 2019, not at Qatar World Cup

Video shows fans at football match in Morocco in 2019, not at Qatar World Cup An old clip of football fans singing a pro-Palestinian song has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in posts that falsely claim it was filmed during the World Cup in Qatar. The clip circulated as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict made its presence felt at the first World Cup on Arab soil, but it was in fact filmed at a football match in Morocco in 2019. The clip has been viewed over 240,000 times since it was s
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Video shows Muslims offering prayers in Russian stadium, not at Qatar World Cup

Video shows Muslims offering prayers in Russian stadium, not at Qatar World Cup A video has been viewed more than one million times in social media posts that falsely claim it shows people praying in a stadium during the Qatar World Cup. In fact, the video has circulated online since 2019 and shows Muslims offering iftar prayers at an arena in Russia's Kazan city. The video was shared here on Twitter by Pakistani politician Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on November 21, 2022. "Beautiful moment duri
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Video shows Koran recital at stadium ceremony one year before Qatar World Cup

Video shows Koran recital at stadium ceremony one year before Qatar World Cup A video has been viewed millions of times in social media posts that falsely claim it shows a Koran recital at the opening ceremony of the Qatar World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium. While other footage from the ceremony shows a World Cup ambassador genuinely recited a verse from the holy text at the ceremony, the posts share a clip from a different Qatari stadium inauguration in October 2021. The video shows a man leadi
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Old video resurfaces in misleading context following Istanbul blast in November 2022

Old video resurfaces in misleading context following Istanbul blast in November 2022 Social media posts with hundreds of thousands of views have reshared an old blast video in a misleading context, shows a deadly bomb attack in a shopping avenue in Turkey in November 2022. The clip, however, shows a suicide bombing that targeted the same avenue in Istanbul in March 2016. "We strongly condemn the suicide bombing in Turkey," reads an Urdu-language Twitter post shared on November 13, 2022. "Thos
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Original placard shows plea for Pakistan army chief's predecessor not to retire

Original placard shows plea for Pakistan army chief's predecessor not to retire A doctored photo of a sign that appears to show Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa asking people to stop telling him to retire has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media. The image -- which appeared to fool some people online -- circulated amid speculation about who would replace Bajwa, who has served as head of the military since 2016. The image has in fact been manipulated from an
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Video of Imran Khan walking in hospital predates assassination attempt

Footage of Pakistan's ex-prime minister Imran Khan walking inside a hospital has been viewed tens of thousands of times in posts that falsely claim it was filmed shortly after he was shot in an assassination attempt, suggesting the attack was a hoax. However, the video actually shows Khan visiting a hospital in 2021, more than a year before the attack, while he was still the premier. The 11-second video shows Khan, who is dressed in scrubs, talking to staff as he walks around a hospital. "Imra
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Photo shows python that ate porcupine in 2015, not Indonesian woman in 2022

Photo shows python that ate porcupine in 2015, not Indonesian woman in 2022 A photo of a snake is circulating in Facebook posts that falsely link it to reports that a python swallowed a woman whole in Indonesia. While local media genuinely reported that a woman was eaten by a python in Indonesia's Jambi province, the photo shows a snake that died after it swallowed a porcupine at a game park in South Africa in 2015. The photo of a snake with a bulging stomach was shared on Facebook on October
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Video shows Pakistani writer criticising activists, not Pakistan PM's niece over dead journalist tweet

False posts viewed hundreds of thousands of times have shared a video they claim shows a Pakistani soap opera writer criticising politician Maryam Nawaz -- niece of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif -- after she tweeted a controversial remark about a Pakistani journalist who was shot dead by police in Kenya in 2022. However, the video shows a speech that the writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar gave in 2020 where he spoke against a female academic and women's rights activists. The video was shared here on
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Video shows anti-terror drill at German airport, not 'attack on Chinese citizens in New York'

Video shows anti-terror drill at German airport, not 'attack on Chinese citizens in New York' False posts viewed tens of thousands of times have shared a video they claim shows the Chinese victims of a mass shooting at a train station in the US city of New York. However, the video actually shows an anti-terror drill conducted by German police at the Cologne Bonn airport in 2018. The 30-second video -- viewed more than 29,000 times -- was shared here on Twitter on October 20, 2022. It appears
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Documentary on Pakistani PM's alleged corruption is produced independently, not by Netflix

Documentary on Pakistani PM's alleged corruption is produced independently, not by Netflix Misleading posts viewed hundreds of thousands of times claim that a documentary on alleged corruption by Pakistan's prime minister is an "upcoming Netflix series", but a producer for the film told AFP it is independently produced. A Netflix spokesperson also said the company has not been involved in production. The video was shared here on Twitter on October 17, 2022, and has been viewed more than 300,00
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Photo shows scene from 1959 German film 'Die Brücke', not actual soldiers in World War II

Photo shows scene from 1959 German film 'Die Brücke', not actual soldiers in World War II An image has been shared in multiple social media posts alongside a claim it is a World War II photo of a German soldier consoling a fellow serviceman. However, the claim is false; the photo is actually a scene from a 1959 German anti-war film called "Die Brücke" (The Bridge). The black and white photo was published here on Twitter on August 23, 2022. "A German soldier tries to comfort a young, terrifi
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Photo of burqa-clad man arrested in Pakistan misleads in posts about Afghanistan protests

Photo of burqa-clad man arrested in Pakistan misleads in posts about Afghanistan protests Days after a deadly attack at an Afghan educational centre, multiple social media posts shared a photo of a woman protester marching against the violence alongside another photo they claimed shows a man disguised in women's clothes who joined the demonstration. However, the photo of the man in a burqa -- a form of Islamic clothing -- has been shared in a misleading context; it shows a man who was arrested
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Old photo of suicide attack victim falsely shared as 'survivor' of 2022 Kabul bombing

Old photo of suicide attack victim falsely shared as 'survivor' of 2022 Kabul bombing A photo of a woman with scars on her face was shared thousands of times in Twitter and Facebook posts that claim she survived a classroom bombing that killed dozens in Afghanistan's capital Kabul in September 2022. The photo, however, has been shared with false context. It was originally published in April 2016 and shows a woman who was seriously wounded in a suicide attack on TV workers in Kabul that year .
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Old photos of different Tehran rallies falsely shared as 'Iran's pro-hijab protests in 2022'

Old photos of different Tehran rallies falsely shared as 'Iran's pro-hijab protests in 2022' Two photos have been shared hundreds of times in multiple social media posts that claim they show pro-government rallies in Iran held to counter anti-hijab protests that have rocked the country since mid-September 2022. Although thousands did attend the pro-hijab rallies, both photos have been shared in a false context. One picture shows a pro-government demonstration in Tehran in December 2017, while t
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Video shows shooting in Ecuador, not Pakistan

A video has been viewed thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows gunmen attacking a family in Pakistan's megacity Karachi. However, the video has been shared in a false context; it shows a shooting in Ecuador in May 2022. "Blind firing on a family at Redapple and Baloch Icecream in Gulistan-e-Johar. The father lost his life. No one is safe in Karachi," reads an Urdu-language tweet posted on September 10, 2022. The 20-second video, which has garnered more than 6,500 views, s
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Photo shows child fleeing Myanmar in 2017, not Pakistan flood victim in 2022

Photo shows child fleeing Myanmar in 2017, not Pakistan flood victim in 2022 After devastating floods left nearly a third of Pakistan underwater, a photo of a tearful girl was widely shared in posts about the disaster. However, the photo actually shows a child fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state in 2017. "Floods in Pakistan have created havoc. Homeless, displaced, devastated," reads an Instagram post shared by Pakistani actress Neelam Muneer Khan on August 25. "People of Pakistan are
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Old video shows family tragedy at waterfall in India, not Pakistan floods in 2022

Old video shows family tragedy at waterfall in India, not Pakistan floods in 2022 Following devastating monsoon floods that have put nearly a third of Pakistan under water, a video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in Twitter posts that claim it shows a family drowning in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The video, however, has been shared in a false context. It shows an accident at a waterfall in India in 2011. The 30-second clip shows five people clinging to a ro
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This storm video was taken in Australia in 2020, not Pakistan in 2022

This storm video was taken in Australia in 2020, not Pakistan in 2022 A video has been watched tens of thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows a cloudburst over a Pakistani city as monsoon rains wrought havoc on the country's Sindh province in August 2022. However, the video has been shared in a false context; it was actually filmed in Australia in February 2020. The 14-second video was posted on Twitter here on August 20, 2022, where it has been viewed more than 16,000 ti
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Video shows family reunion, not arrested Pakistan politician Shahbaz Gill hugging children

After Pakistani opposition politician Shahbaz Gill was arrested on sedition charges, a video was viewed tens of thousands of times in posts that claimed it showed him in a tearful embrace with his children. However, the video has been shared in a false context. The clip shows two children who were reunited with their father after they ran away from home. "Dr Shahbaz Gill with his children. The one who had mountain-like resolve broke down when suffering such a crime for his patriotism," reads an
Fact Check •

Old photo shared in false posts about ex-Pakistan minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed 'hiding in hospital'

Old photo shared in false posts about ex-Pakistan minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed 'hiding in hospital' accused police of raiding his home and party office , Facebook and Twitter posts shared a photo purportedly showing him hiding from police in hospital. However, the photo was taken in June 2020 when Ahmed was treated for Covid-19. He has appeared in public in August 2022 after claims about him hiding circulated. "The one who sets parliament on fire and gives open threats to institutions, Sheikh
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