Fact check: Viral clip falsely claims Saudi Arabia changed investment policy for Pakistan

A viral video clip circulating on social media since March 5, 2026, claiming that Geo News recently reported a change in Saudi Arabia’s policy toward Pakistan on grants, deposits and investments is false. 

The video clip being shared by multiple users, including Indian, Afghan and pro-PTI accounts, is not recent and actually dates back to January 2023. The clip went viral amid the escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and discussions on Pakistan’s neutral stance in the conflict.

An X user, who appears to be a PTI supporter from his bio, shared a video of a Geo News bulletin reporting that Saudi Arabia changed its investment policies towards Pakistan. 

“BREAKING NEWS: Saudi Arabia bans free money to Pakistan! No money without conditions!! Pakistan should first show development!! We won’t give public tax money for free to anyone like this,” reads the video caption on X.

The post has reached 374,000 views on X.

The same video was also posted by former special assistant to the prime minister Mirza Shahzad Akbar, who shared it with the caption: “In the era of General (Field Marshal), even true love finally came to an end!”

Akbar’s post received more than 154,000 views.

Twitter Post

A female user also shared the same video clip with the caption: “Saudi Arabia has stopped giving aid to Pakistan. It is not possible to give aid to a country that kills its Muslim brothers and supports Israel. God willing, the aid will now go to Iran, and Iran will become stronger and will help Muslims.” 

However, the clip itself did not state that the Saudi policy shift was specific to Pakistan. To verify the claims, reverse image and keyword searches were conducted that traced the footage to a Geo News report published on January 19, 2023, under a story about delays in Saudi assistance.

The same remarks were also reported by Arab News on January 18, 2023, in a report stating that Saudi Arabia was changing its broader approach to aid by moving away from unconditional grants and deposits. 

A reverse image search also led to a January 18, 2023, YouTube video posted by Al Arabiya English containing the Saudi finance minister’s remarks featured in the Geo News bulletin.

Another indication that the footage is outdated is that the anchor appearing in the clip is no longer associated with Geo News, further supporting the conclusion that the video is old.

The fact-check classifies the claim as false.