Fact Check: Fake Circular Going Viral With Claims That Pakistan Govt Bans Reporting On Iranian Air Strikes
Vishvas News in its investigation found that the viral letter is fake. The government of Pakistan has not issued any letter to media organisations.
- By: Umam Noor
- Published: Jan 23, 2024 at 03:00 PM
New Delhi, Vishvas News – A copy of a circular is going viral on social media platforms, with claims that the Pakistani government has banned all media organisations from covering any news on recent air strikes launched by Iran on the country. It has also been claimed that all journalists in Pakistan have been asked not to visit the affected areas. However, Vishvas News, in its investigation, has confirmed that the viral letter is fake. The Government of Pakistan has not issued any such circular to media organisations.
What’s Going Viral?
While sharing the circular in the viral post, the user wrote, “Pakistan government has banned Pakistani media from covering news of Iran’s air strikes inside the border. There is a ban on all journalists from going to the areas where the attacks took place”.
Investigation:
According to a press release posted on the website of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 17, 2024, “Pakistan strongly condemns the unprovoked airspace violation by Iran and the attack inside Pakistani territory, resulting in the death of two innocent children. While three girls were injured.”
According to a news report on Pakistan’s news website Tribune, published on January 18, “Residents of the mountains on the Pakistan-Iran border are in a state of panic after Tehran fired missiles on a village located in Panjgur district of Balochistan.”
The alleged circular going viral on social media attributes the information to Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). However, our investigation did not find any such circular on the official website of Pakistan’s PMO. Instead, we discovered the document on the Fact Check Twitter handle of Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, where it has been labelled as a ‘fake and fabricated note.’
Furthermore, a review of the advisory posted on the website of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority dated January 18, regarding the Iran attack, revealed no mention of any ban on media organisations. We reached out to Pakistani journalist Umer Inam, who stated, “The government did not issue this viral letter; it is a fake letter.”
During social scanning of the Facebook user who shared the post with the fake claim, we found that the user has 335 followers.
Conclusion: Vishvas News in its investigation found that the viral letter is fake. The government of Pakistan has not issued any letter to media organisations.
- Claim Review : There is a ban on covering anything on the Iranian air strike inside Pakistan. Along with this, all the newspapers have been ordered not to visit the attack area.
- Claimed By : FB User VIPpolitics
- Fact Check : False
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