Deepfake Attack
ISLAMABAD: On Friday, a coalition of women lawmakers and government officials came together to condemn the circulation of a lewd deepfake video targeting Punjab’s Information Minister, Azma Bokhari.
They announced their intention to launch a legal battle against those responsible for the scandalous act.
The press conference was led by Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja, along with prominent figures such as Romina Khurshid Alam, the Prime Minister’s aide on climate change, and MNAs Shaista Pervaiz Malik and Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar.
Recently, screenshots from a blurry and explicit video began circulating on social media. Several accounts associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party attempted to link the video to Minister Bokhari.
However, the video was swiftly debunked as a deepfake by the fact-checking organization iVerify. The organization revealed that the footage was originally a pornographic video, with Bokhari’s face superimposed onto it.
In response to this malicious act, Ms. Bokhari has already filed a petition with the Lahore High Court against those disseminating the video.
During the press conference, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja confirmed that the government had acquired the original video and all pertinent details.
She expressed gratitude to social media platforms for their prompt action in removing the offensive content and assured that the government would rigorously pursue the case through the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Ms. Khawaja directly accused the PTI of orchestrating the attack, alleging that the deepfake technology was used as part of a deliberate and calculated conspiracy against Minister Bokhari.
Romina Khurshid Alam emphasized that women in politics, media, and all areas of society deserve utmost respect and condemned any attempts to tarnish their reputations through malicious smear campaigns.
She highlighted that the PML-N party was committed to avoiding such dirty tactics against female politicians.
MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik condemned the use of women as pawns in dirty political games, advocating for a strict ethical boundary to prevent the use of derogatory language and deceptive political maneuvers against women.
The collective stance taken by these leaders reflects a strong commitment to protecting the dignity and integrity of women in public life.
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