Claim: Videos circulating on social media allegedly show Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s interaction with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he was welcomed at the Rahim Yar Khan airport on 5 January.
Video 1: Maryam Nawaz is shaking hands with the UAE President while Shehbaz Sharif claps.
Video 2: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gets involved in a physical altercation in an attempt to break off the hand-shake between Sheikh Zayed and Mariam Nawaz.
Video 3 and 4: Two separate videos show the UAE President embracing Maryam Nawaz.
Video 5: The Chief Minister jumps onto the UAE President’s lap.
Video 6: Shehbaz Sharif takes Maryam Nawaz’s hand and runs off with her.
Video 7: Maryam Nawaz kissed Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan.
Fact: All seven videos are AI-generated. A Deepware scanner analysis and visual inconsistencies in the viral videos confirm that the videos do not depict real events.
On 5 January, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and other government officials welcomed UAE’s President at Rahim Yar Khan airport. Following the interaction, social media users began circulating a range of videos showing Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz greeting Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Soch Fact Check understands that certain social media posts and claims circulating on platforms like Facebook and TikTok may be immediately identifiable as false. However, they warrant a fact-check because some users — such as those unfamiliar with verifying misinformation, those who may only skim the content, or those who are staunch supporters of a political party or public figure — may take these posts at face value.
Maryam Nawaz meets the UAE President
The UAE president was welcomed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and others at Rahim Yar Khan airport on 5 January, reported Geo News.
Following the interaction, a photo of Maryam Nawaz shaking hands with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed circulated widely in the media. PTI members and others criticised the Chief Minister’s gesture on social media, arguing that, as a Muslim woman, she should not have shook hands with a ‘non-mahram,’ according to Hum News.
“Pakistan’s societal norms and Islamic culture typically discourage physical contact between ‘non-mehram’ (unrelated men and women), they can use alternative gestures, such as a slight bow or right hands on the chest can be used,” the report added.
Journalist, Imran Riaz Khan, criticised Nawaz for her “hand hug” saying that the gesture was not in accordance with Pakistan’s culture. He added that previously Nawaz had refused to appear at NAB hearings citing the presence of non-mahram men. So, he questioned why she shook hands with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed who is also non-mahram. He highlighted the change in criteria politicians follow when they are in power as opposed to when they are not in power.
While some female Pakistani leaders, like Benazir Bhutto and Hina Rabbani Khar, have shook hands in line with global diplomatic practices, Nawaz’s double handshake—using both hands—stood out, the article stated. This gesture, often associated with power or strong personal connection, may have been seen as overstepping traditional boundaries, raising questions about whether she followed diplomatic norms or unintentionally conveyed dominance.
FIA inquiry
According to Dawn, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing in Lahore launched an inquiry and announced that action would be taken against individuals uploading AI-generated videos and images of the Chief Minister and the UAE President, both within Pakistan and abroad. The report further added that a fake letter from the UAE Embassy, requesting the Pakistani government to address the propaganda involving Mr. Al Nahyan and his interaction with Punjab’s Chief Minister, had surfaced on social media.
On 11 January, ARY News reported that the FIA identified 20 social media accounts responsible for sharing fake images online. “Besides arresting three suspects, the FIA also conducted raids to apprehend the remaining culprits.”
According to The Current, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been formed to expand the scope of the investigation, with Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry as chairman and the deputy directors of Lahore, Multan, and Faisalabad as members. “The action comes after Punjab CM’s office approached the FIA’s cybercrime wing for a probe into the doctored pictures and videos,” the report added.
Fact or Fiction?
All the videos showed signs typical of AI-generated media. Nonetheless, we conducted a keyword search to verify whether any such incidents occurred as they would have been widely reported in the media. However, we did not find any reports.
We then analysed footage of the interaction shared by Aaj News, and images of it shared by Dunya News. In both videos, the newscasters did not mention anything unusual about Maryam Nawaz’s or Shehbaz Sharif’s actions. Nawaz can be seen standing at a distance in the videos. While the gesture itself was reported on in the media, we did not find any footage of her shaking hands with the UAE President. However, a standalone image of Maryam Nawaz shaking hands with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed was published in a Hum News article and shared by MM News as well.
To verify if all seven videos were AI-generated, Soch Fact Check then investigated and noted obvious errors in them. We conducted an independent analysis of each video and ran them through tests on Deepware Scanner, which scans and detects suspicious content to identify potential synthetic manipulation.
A deepfake is a form of generative AI that alters real videos or audio to make it look like someone is saying or doing something they didn’t. Rather than serving a creative or practical purpose, they often focus on mimicking real-life appearances and actions or changing existing media to mimic reality, which raises ethical concerns.
For purposes of this fact-check, we suspect that the image of Maryam Nawaz shaking hands with the UAE president was used as the basis to create the videos in the claims.
Video 1
Soch Fact Check noticed that Maryam Nawaz’s hands unnaturally merged with the hand of UAE’s President during the gesture. This is a clear sign of manipulation as AI tools struggle to render hands perfectly.
We also examined the video using Deepware Scanner. The results strongly suggested that the video may be a deepfake. The Deepware model showed a 95% likelihood that the video is a deepfake.
Relying on the Seferbekov model, the deepfake detection tool uses machine learning to analyse facial features, movements, and inconsistencies and assess if the video is manipulated. The Seferbekov model showed a 98% likelihood that the video is a deepfake.
Additionally, Ensemble analysis involves combining the results from multiple detection models to produce a more accurate and reliable outcome. Instead of relying on a single model, ensemble methods aggregate findings from various tools, each using different approaches to detect inconsistencies or manipulations in a video. With a 97% rating, the Ensemble analysis confirmed that the video is a deepfake.
Video 2
The video displayed the text, “This Video generated by AI only for fun,” confirming that it was created through AI. However, the post still warrants a fact-check as we noticed that users are taking it at face-value. Therefore, we noted several apparent inconsistencies in the video.
As Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz move, their faces become distorted. Their hands are either missing or appear to merge with other body parts.
According to the Deepware scanner results, the video exhibited some deepfake characteristics. The Seferbekov model rated it 67% suspicious, while the Ensemble analysis gave a 56% suspicious rating.
Video 3
The first version appears quite realistic. However, a closer look revealed visual inconsistencies, such as Nawaz’s lips merging with the skin and the absence of teeth, indicating that the video is not authentic.
Moreover, as Maryam Nawaz wraps her arms around the president’s back, one of her sleeves turns black, and merges with the person in the background.
Video 4
This video features a watermark from PixVerse.ai, an AI video creation platform, in the top-right corner, indicating it was created using this tool. However, similar to ‘Video 2’, the post warrants a fact-check as users are taking it at face-value. Moreover, the embedded Urdu text in red obscures the watermark to a great extent.
Maryam Nawaz’s face distorts as she moves towards UAE’s President and her left hand appears to have multiple fingers.
Additionally, the face of the security guard looking on in the background mirrors into a duplicate of him as he walks forward.
Interestingly, when we analysed the videos 3 and 4 with Deepware scanner, the software did not yield any plausible results. This meant that the videos lack deepfake characteristics, and, therefore, were likely created using other AI tools.
Video 5
This video, too, does not include deepfake characteristics. However, Maryam Nawaz’s sudden jump and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed’s movements seem unreal and appear caricature-like. Their facial expressions also do not change. Additionally, the president’s face rests awkwardly on Nawaz’s arm and does not resemble his actual face.
Video 6
This video featured a Hailuo Minimax AI watermark in the bottom-right corner, indicating it was created using the Hailuo AI video generator. The video displayed several glaring inconsistencies. From the beginning, Maryam Nawaz’s lips appear distorted. Shehbaz Sharif’s movements do not seem human as they are too fast.
Additionally, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz’s blurred and distorted faces become indiscernible when he pulls her. Maryam Nawaz’s attire suddenly turns several shades darker, likely due to AI manipulation and the visual’s artificially high saturation.
Nawaz’s head, initially covered with a dupatta, is not covered later in the video. Their hands are barely visible, and at one point Sharif’s hands seem upside down while wrapped around Nawaz. As the clip progresses, the faces of the people in the background also become indiscernible.
According to the Deepware scanner analysis, this video did exhibit deepfake characteristics. The Deepware model rated it 54% suspicious, the Seferbekov model rated it 66% suspicious, and the Ensemble analysis gave it a 63% suspicious rating.
Video 7
In this video, the UAE President’s mouth extends unnaturally as he leans in towards Nawaz. Additionally, their faces do not resemble their actual appearance when they move away from one another.
The Seferbekov model on the Deepware scanner rated the video 53% suspicious, suggesting the presence of some deepfake elements.
It is worth noting that in all the videos, the figure of the onlooking guard in the background changes and shifts continuously. At times he appears mirrored. At other times his clothes shift or we see a completely different person in his place altogether.
Furthermore, the expressions of all other people visible in the video remain unchanged throughout. This is another indication that the videos in question are artificial as the onlookers would typically react to the scenes unfolding between Nawaz and Sheikh Zayed.
Therefore, we conclude that all seven videos in question were created using the image of Maryam Nawaz and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed shaking hands, likely with the use of deepfake technology or other AI tools.
Virality
The first video was shared here, here, and here on Facebook.
The second video was shared here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. On Instagram, it was shared here and here.
The third video was shared here on Facebook.
The fourth video was shared here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
The fifth video was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. On Instagram, it was shared here.
The sixth video was shared here on Facebook. It was also shared here on Instagram.
The seventh video was shared here and here on Facebook. On TikTok, it was shared here.
Conclusion: All seven videos in question are not authentic; they are AI-generated. A Deepware scanner analysis and visual inconsistencies conclusively prove that these videos do not represent factual events.
–
Background image in cover photo: ProPakistani.Pk
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com