Debunked: Deepfake Video of Imran Khan's Sister Falsely Claims Asim Munir Wants War With India

PTI founder Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 following convictions in multiple cases.

New Delhi:

A viral video claiming to show Aleema Khan, sister of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, stating that Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir desires war with India while Imran Khan seeks friendship has been identified as a deepfake by Sky News. The fabricated interview supposedly aired on the network's program 'The World with Yalda Hakim'.

In this sophisticated fake video that spread widely on Wednesday, the impersonated interviewer Yalda Hakim questions Aleema about a supposed India-Pakistan conflict in May. The deepfake Aleema then launches into criticism of Munir, Pakistan's first Chief of Defence Forces.

The falsified clip portrayed Aleema saying: "Asim Munir is a very radicalised Islamist and Islamic conservatist. This is the reason why he yearns for a war with India. His Islamic radicalisation and conservatism force him to fight against those who don't believe in Islam."

The deepfake continued with Aleema describing her brother as "pure liberal" and claiming: "Whenever Imran khan comes to power, you will see that he always tries to befriend India, and even BJP. Whenever there is this radical Islmaist, Asim Munir, you will see that there will be war with India and not just India, even the allies of India will suffer."

Sky News and Yalda Hakim have categorically denounced the video as fraudulent. Hakim posted on X (formerly Twitter): "This is terrifying — a deepfake of my interview with Imran Khan's sister, Aleema Khan, is circulating. It falsely claims we discussed the Pakistan-India war earlier this year. We did NOT. This clip is completely fake."

In the actual interview with Aleema Khan, the discussion centered on her brother's imprisonment. When asked about the possibility of Imran Khan's release given the numerous cases against him, Aleema suggested Pakistani authorities were isolating Khan to "suppress the people of Pakistan."

She stated: "I think they are operating out of fear. He represents 90% of this country. How can you put a person who represents 90% of the country in jail? They basically want to suppress the people of Pakistan. They don't want their voice to be heard and they are standing behind Imran Khan. They thought if they isolated him people will forget him."

Regarding the actual India-Pakistan tensions, on May 7, the Indian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes against nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These strikes, codenamed 'Operation Sindoor,' were in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, including a Nepalese national. India clarified that these operations did not target Pakistani military infrastructure or civilian establishments.

The relationship between Asim Munir and Imran Khan has been strained since 2019, when Munir reportedly expressed interest in investigating corruption allegations surrounding Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi. Khan subsequently removed Munir from his position as Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) after only eight months of what was intended to be a three-year term.

Imran Khan, who founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), has been detained in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August 2023. Recently, rumors about Khan's death circulated after his family claimed they had been denied visitation rights for over a month.

On Tuesday, Dr. Uzma Khanum, another of Khan's sisters, met with him for 20 minutes in Adiala Jail. She later told reporters, "Alhamdulillah, he is all right... but he was angry about being mentally tortured. He is locked in his cell all day... can only step out for short periods. And he can't communicate with anyone." She added that her brother had blamed General Asim Munir for his imprisonment and conditions.