A sophisticated deepfake video claiming to show Aimal Wali Khan, president of the Awami National Party, attacking Pakistan’s military leadership at the United Nations has gone viral amid heightened instability in the north. The footage surfaced on social media just as the federal government imposed direct rule over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province following violent protests and demands for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan. In the manipulated clip, Khan appears to mock Army Chief Asim Munir over a supposed mineral deal with the United States, calling the current state of affairs a dictatorship rather than a democracy.
However, forensic analysis reveals that the video is a complete fabrication created using artificial intelligence. Experts noted several glaring anomalies, including lip movements that fail to sync with the audio and repetitive hand gestures that loop unnaturally. Furthermore, there is no official record of Aimal Wali Khan addressing the UN General Assembly during the timeframe suggested by the posts. Detection tools have specifically linked the creation of the imagery to OpenAI software, confirming that the scene was digitally rendered rather than filmed.
The deceptive nature of the clip extends to its soundtrack, which was stolen from an entirely different context. The audio used in the fake video was actually recorded during a 2025 Senate session where Khan questioned a photograph showing officials with a box of rare earth minerals. While those comments were real at the time, they had nothing to do with recent events in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or any appearance at the UN. It is worth noting that Khan eventually apologized to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after receiving clarification about that specific incident years ago.
The timing of this disinformation campaign highlights how easily digital manipulation can be weaponized during periods of civil unrest. With supporters of Imran Khan already marching against government intervention and provincial autonomy being sidelined, such fabrications risk further inflaming tensions between civilian leaders and the military establishment. Despite requests for comment, neither Aimal Wali Khan nor the creators behind some of the initial AI shares have provided further details on their involvement.
