Govt to catch each and every culprit behind Uzma Bukhari deepfake video: Shaza Fatima Khawaja

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that the government will catch each and every culprit behind Uzma Bukhari leaked deepfake video, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference alongside the Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam, Shaista Pervaiz Malik, and other Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) women leaders, she said that the original video and related information had been obtained.

She expressed gratitude to social media platforms for removing the video and assured that the government would pursue the case with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) effectively and forcefully. She said that every person involved in this crime would be traced and given exemplary punishment.

She accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of indulging in a reprehensible act by using deepfake technology against PML-N leader Uzma Bukhari as part of a well-thought-out conspiracy. Criticizing PTI for this shameful act, she claimed it exposed the true nature of the party.

The minister praised Uzma Bukhari as a brave woman who effectively presented the government’s point of view. She condemned the defamation and character assassination of women politicians and said that no one would be allowed to harass or defame women.

She accused PTI leaders and workers of using abusive language against women politicians and claimed that PTI engages in politics of negative propaganda, politics of hate, and confrontation.

In response to a question, she highlighted that the PML-N government had implemented a women’s quota in the past and was determined to continue this in the future.

She said that the empowerment of women is crucial for the country’s progress, prosperity, and development.

She added that during a recent meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued directives to law enforcement agencies, including the FIA, and the Ministers of Interior and IT, to take strict actions against those targeting and defaming the women.