LAHORE – Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday shared a video to pay tribute to the women for their determination in what he calls a fight for real freedom.
The video contains clips and photos of clashes between PTI workers and police erupted following the former prime minister’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case earlier this week. The video titled “Sinf-e-Ahan” ended on a photo showing a woman standing in defiance in front of the riot police.
The same photo was earlier shared by the PTI on its official handle and other social media users on Twitter, presenting it as an “image of resistance & courage”.
حقیقی آزادی کیلئے جس انداز میں پاکستانی خواتین کھڑی ہوئی ہیں، انہیں ہمیشہ یاد رکھا جائے گا اور (انکی یہ ثابت قدمی) ہماری جمہوری تاریخ کا حصہ بنے گی۔
اس کے ساتھ ہمارے سیکیورٹی اہلکاروں کی بربریت اور ہماری خواتین کو تکلیف پہنچانے، انہیں اذیت دینے اور ان کی تذلیل کرنے کیلئے جس بے… pic.twitter.com/usweizw9gw
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 19, 2023
However, it has emerged that the image is fake as it was generated by using artificial intelligence (AI) software Midjourney. International media also investigated it and found it fake.
The image was first shared by Twitter user @whirlingdervsh on May 11 after protests against the arrest of the PTI chief erupted across the country on 9 May.
Khan, who has been charged in more than 100 cases since his removal from the PM’s office through a no-confidence vote in April last year, was arrested in connection to the Al-Qadir Trust case initiated last year by the PDM government.
Clashes and rioting broke out in all major cities, including Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Peshawar. During the protests, government and military installations were damaged, an act that has drawn wide condemnation.
Following the protests, police said they had arrested over 2,000 people with crackdown on the Imran Khan-led party continued as several leaders had gone into hiding.
Today, Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurganzeb criticised Khan in a press conference, saying such AI-made photos are being circulated by the PTI to provoke people and to show that human rights are being violated in Pakistan.
The photo was also examined by the international media who found some elements that proved it is a fake and AI-generated image.
The suspicious elements detected during the photo examination include distorted hand of the woman, lack of transparency between strands of hair, and helmets not matching those used by police in Punjab.
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