Khawaja Asif’s video comparing Pakistan, India is AI-generated, Information Ministry says

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday said a video showing Defence Minister Khawaja Asif comparing Pakistan’s progress with India’s and making remarks about the country’s political and economic situation was doctored, with the audio generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

The ministry shared the video on X with the caption: “This news is FAKE and the voice in video is AI-generated.” The ministry added, “Please verify news from official sources before sharing.”

The minute-long doctored clip showed Asif appearing to speak during a press conference aired on a private news channel, but the ministry said the audio was AI-generated.

In the fabricated audio, the minister said that Pakistan and India had gained independence at almost the same time but that “the gap between the two countries” had since grown dramatically.

The doctored video contrasted Pakistan with India, claiming that New Delhi had continued to strengthen its position in “technology, infrastructure, the economy and its standing in the world”. Asif, in the fabricated clip, goes on to ask, “Are we truly a democracy?”

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Further, the video showed the minister making remarks such as “Balochistan has slipped from our hands”, along with claiming that people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were troubled and that residents of Azad Kashmir had taken to the streets to demand their rights.

The video falsely showed Asif calling on people to question the government and its policies instead of blaming others, before ending with the question, “Who brought Pakistan to this point?”

The ministry issued the fact-check after the doctored clip gained traction and was picked up by Indian media outlets.