Are AI-generated deepfakes escalating communal discord on Pakistan’s social media?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- AI-generated deepfakes are increasingly prevalent on social media.
- These videos aim to incite communal tensions against India.
- Manipulated clips often exhibit audiovisual glitches.
- High-profile figures are implicated in the dissemination of disinformation.
- Intense international vigilance is required to combat these trends.
New Delhi, Dec 27 (NationPress) Numerous AI-generated videos and images disseminated by accounts associated with Pakistan’s security apparatus have inundated the nation’s social media landscape in recent months. These efforts aim to incite communal tensions and propagate misleading narratives against India, as reported by a media outlet.
The International Business Times highlighted that journalists and analysts discovered many viral posts originated from X accounts linked to Pakistan’s military and intelligence.
Fact-checkers have invalidated manipulated clips that imitate news formats yet display strange audiovisual inconsistencies, such as erratic eye movements, disjointed speech, and mismatched lip-syncing.
“This trend poses a significant risk to regional stability and threatens Pakistan's information ecosystem. International vigilance is necessary to curb Pakistan’s dissemination of mass disinformation on social media,” the report stated.
Instances include an AI-generated clip featuring IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, allegedly criticizing India’s Tejas fighter, and another attributed to former Indian Army Chief V.P. Malik, spreading false communal narratives.
An account purportedly responsible for circulating these videos, 'PakVocals,' was followed by Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ataullah Tarar, indicating possible endorsement from the nation's leadership.
Moreover, the method of operation, characterized by quick deletions and networks amplifying each other, resembles a coordinated influence campaign rather than the actions of random individuals. Pakistani officials have acknowledged an issue of “organized disinformation,” even while they publicly accuse others of it.
Even international conflicts have been distorted in this Pakistan-led disinformation effort. An example is the Israel-Iran war in 2025, where numerous Pakistani news outlets broadcast an AI-manipulated video of a supposed invasion of an Israeli studio, failing to recognize the footage was entirely fabricated.
Similarly, AI-altered videos of Indian journalist Palki Sharma Upadhyay are circulating within Pakistani social media networks, falsely depicting her endorsing Indian government-backed financial investment platforms or questioning diplomatic protocols regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jordan.