ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday said a video appearing to show Defence Minister Khawaja Asif comparing Pakistan’s progress with India and commenting on the country’s political and economic situation was doctored, with its audio generated using artificial intelligence.
The ministry shared the video on X and described it as fake, saying the voice in the clip was AI-generated. It urged the public to verify information through official sources before sharing it.
The one-minute video appeared to show Khawaja Asif speaking during a press conference broadcast by a private news channel. However, the ministry said the audio had been artificially generated and did not reflect the minister’s actual remarks.
In the fabricated audio, Asif was allegedly shown saying that Pakistan and India gained independence around the same time but that the gap between the two countries had since widened significantly.
The fake clip also portrayed him as claiming that India had continued to strengthen its position in technology, infrastructure, the economy and global affairs.
The video further falsely attributed remarks to the minister questioning whether Pakistan was truly a democracy.
It also included fabricated statements about Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir, allegedly suggesting that the government was losing control in some areas and that people were protesting for their rights.
The video ended with a purported call for people to question government policies and a question about who was responsible for bringing Pakistan to its current situation.
The ministry issued the clarification after the doctored video gained traction on social media and was reportedly picked up by some Indian media outlets.
Authorities have urged users to exercise caution when viewing or sharing political videos and to verify their authenticity through official channels.
