Fact-check: These 'PTI protest' images aren't real

Former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on corruption charges by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during a court appearance in Islamabad on May 9.

Soon after his dramatic arrest, violent clashes broke out between police and protesters in cities across Pakistan.

In the days after Khan’s arrest, a purported photograph of a woman facing down police forces in Pakistan went viral.

This photograph is not real. It was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

The French TV channel in its popular fact-checking rendez-vous, Truth or Fake, revealed that an AI-generated photo and two out-of-context videos are being presented as images from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) nationwide demonstrations in support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Truth or Fake – Pakistan political turmoil: these ‘PTI protest’ images aren’t real
➡️ https://t.co/5jySXkf4MB pic.twitter.com/w5FulPjhGI

— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) May 17, 2023

According to France24’s findings, the photo was not captured by any cameraman or photographer. Instead, it was generated using AI technology.

Another video showed protestors clashing and breaking through a police line at was claimed by the user to be Kashmir Highway.

Exclusive Footage from Kashmir Highway, Islamabad. Huge crowd came from KP, according to the ground reports#pakistanrepublic #ImranKhanArrested#نکلو_خان_کی_زندگی_بچاوٴ pic.twitter.com/JGKK2geUj1

— Pakistan Republic (@republicdotpk) May 10, 2023