ISLAMABAD: A misleading social media campaign involving an altered video and fabricated audio of Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar has been exposed after a fact-check analysis confirmed digital manipulation of the clip.
A 93-second video circulated on social media platform X by an account identified as “Major Rajpal,” allegedly based in India, claimed that Pakistan’s Information Minister had revealed the exposure of a US-backed digital network involved in campaigns against Pakistan, its armed forces, and state institutions.
However, verification of the original footage and a comparison with the viral clip showed that the video had been digitally edited and the accompanying claims were false.
The original press conference footage shows that Attaullah Tarar referred to India while discussing a security operation against a suspected digital network. He stated that an individual involved in digital marketing activities had been arrested and that the person’s links were traced to India, including alleged funding and payments.
According to the minister’s statement, the network was allegedly using bot platforms to spread false and misleading content targeting Pakistan, state institutions, the armed forces, and the army chief.
The manipulated version of the video reportedly altered the minister’s original audio through editing, replacing the reference to “India” with “America” in an attempt to create a misleading impression about Pakistan’s allegations.
The incident highlights the growing challenge of digitally manipulated content and misinformation campaigns on social media platforms, where edited audio and videos can be used to distort public statements and spread false narratives.
