Three nabbed for 'sharing' Maryam Nawaz’s fake pictures with UAE president

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested three individuals accused of editing and sharing pictures of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to the FIA sources, 20 social media accounts responsible for sharing fake images of Maryam Nawaz have been identified. Besides arresting three suspects, the FIA is also conducting raids to apprehend the remaining culprits.

To widen the scope of the investigation, a joint investigation team has been constituted, with Additional Director Sarfaraz Chaudhry appointed as its head. The team includes Deputy Directors from Lahore, Multan, and Faisalabad.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime Wing launched investigation into the edited pictures of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on social media.

The inquiry was initiated following a request from the Punjab government. The edited pictures, which appear to show Maryam Nawaz with the President of the UAE, were widely shared on social media platforms.

The FIA stated that action will be taken against those responsible for uploading and sharing the edited content.

As part of the investigation, the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing will be conducting inquiries across the country, including Lahore. The agency warned that individuals found guilty of uploading and sharing false information will face legal consequences.

Read more: Culprits behind Maryam Nawaz’s viral edited pictures to face the music

Deepfakes — which manipulate genuine audio, photos or video of people into false likenesses — are becoming increasingly convincing and easier to make as artificial intelligence (AI) enters the mainstream.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who is haunted by an objectionable deepfake video published to discredit her role as one of the nation’s few female leaders in an interview with AFP voiced the importance of the matter.

“I was shattered when it came into my knowledge,” said 48-year-old Bokhari and added it was very difficult and she was depressed.

“My daughter, she hugged me and said: ‘Mama, you have to fight it out’.”

“When I go to the court, I have to remind people again and again that I have a fake video,” she said and urged for awareness about the deepfake videos in Pakistan.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the judiciary and the system of police need to be modernised to counter such issues as deepfake videos are frequently used to discredit women in Pakistan, she claimed.