2025-04-18T08:26:23.000Z

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In March, during a pivotal visit to Saudi Arabia, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif found himself at the center of controversy due to a misleading video clip that circulated widely across social media platforms. The video, which has garnered over 20,000 shares on TikTok alone, deceptively portrays a journalist harshly criticizing Sharif for extravagant spending amid Pakistan's ongoing economic turmoil. However, a closer examination reveals that the original interview footage is unrelated to the fabricated claims circulating online.

The doctored clip features an Arab anchorperson purportedly admonishing Sharif for seeking financial assistance while simultaneously indulging in lavish expenditures. The video is overlaid with Urdu text stating, "On the one hand you beg for loans and on the other you make royal expenditures. An Arab anchorperson puts Shehbaz Sharif in his place." This misleading representation was posted on TikTok on March 22, just days after Sharif's visit to Saudi Arabia, where he was engaged in discussions about strengthening trade partnerships and economic collaboration with Saudi leaders.

Contextually, Sharif's visit to the kingdom took place from March 19 to 22, during which he also embarked on a pilgrimage to Mecca. However, the clip in question actually originates from an interview conducted in January 2023, where the journalist was inquiring about Sharif's strategies to combat corruption in Pakistan, not criticizing him for alleged overspending on state resources.

A reverse image search on Google confirmed the clip's origins, tracing it back to a longer interview aired by Al-Arabiya, a UAE-based news outlet, on January 17, 2023. The video is titled "Exclusive Interview with Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan" and includes the journalist asking a critical question at the 13:45 mark: "Do you have a plan to combat rampant corruption in Pakistan?" To which Sharif firmly replied, "I am the last man who would tolerate such things." The complete interview further elaborates on Pakistan's historical relationships with both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, emphasizing Sharif's belief that these ties would be instrumental in fostering economic independence and prosperity for his nation.

Importantly, at no point during the original interview did the journalist raise concerns about Sharif's delegation or his pilgrimage to Mecca, nor have credible reports surfaced indicating any such concerns were ever expressed. To further investigate the authenticity of the circulating clip, AFP utilized the voice cloning detection tool by Hiya within the Verification Plugin, also known as InVID-WeVerify, which indicated that the audio in the altered video is "very likely AI-generated." This finding raises serious questions about the integrity of the content being shared and highlights the ongoing challenge of misinformation in the digital age.