Viral social media images falsely claimed that Pakistani actresses Mahira Khan and Sajal Aly had expressed support for a planned protest against India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The screenshots allegedly showed Instagram stories backing an October 10 demonstration by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in New Delhi. However, a fact-check by iVerify Pakistan found the visuals were AI-generated or manipulated.
The actresses’ official Instagram accounts did not contain the alleged posts, and searches found no credible media reports confirming their authenticity.
Fact-check verdict: False.
How the Fake Claims Spread
Several BJP supporters shared the alleged screenshots on X on October 8, amplifying claims that Pakistani celebrities supported the Indian protest movement.
One viral post claimed Mahira Khan had endorsed the demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The fabricated story allegedly said she could not attend because India had banned Pakistani actors from entering the country.
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Another post attributed a separate message to Sajal Aly. It purportedly welcomed the prospect of political change in India and expressed hope for improved relations between India and Pakistan.
The posts attracted hundreds of thousands of views, according to figures cited in the original fact-check.
Other accounts circulated the same images and used them to accuse the protest movement of receiving support from Pakistan.
Background to the India Protests
The claims emerged amid demonstrations over revisions to India’s electoral rolls.
Opposition parties and protesters alleged that the Election Commission of India’s voter-list revision could exclude eligible voters and benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP.
The commission and the BJP denied allegations of wrongdoing.
The CJP, led by Abhijeet Dipke, announced plans for a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 10, demanding free and fair elections.
The viral images attempted to connect Pakistani celebrities with the political dispute.
Fact-Check Finds No Evidence of Authentic Posts
According to iVerify Pakistan, investigators searched Indian and Pakistani media outlets for reports about the alleged Instagram stories.
They found no credible coverage confirming that either actress had published the messages.
The investigators also found no corresponding reactions from Pakistani fans, media figures or entertainment-industry personnel.
A review of Mahira Khan’s official Instagram account revealed no evidence of the alleged story. The same applied to Sajal Aly’s account.
The absence of posts alone does not conclusively establish that a story was never published, because Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours. However, the fact-check identified additional signs of digital manipulation.
AI-Detection Tools Flag Viral Images
The investigation examined the screenshots using several AI-detection tools.
According to the report, an analysis of the image attributed to Mahira Khan detected a SynthID signal, suggesting that the visual had been generated or edited using AI tools.
The report also cited results from several other detection services:
Sightengine: Flagged the image as 99% doctored.
AI or Not: Reported a 76% likelihood of AI generation.
Decopy: Flagged the image as 91% AI-generated.
Fake Image Detector: Classified it as 78% doctored.
For the image attributed to Sajal Aly, Truthscan reportedly flagged 95% of the content as doctored. Undetectable AI also reported 95% edited content, while Fake Image Detector identified a 76% likelihood of computer-generated or modified imagery.
The investigators also noted distorted fingers in the visual attributed to Mahira Khan, which they considered a possible sign of AI manipulation.
These percentages represent individual tools’ assessments, not independently verified probabilities that a particular image is fake. AI-detection tools can produce false positives and should be considered alongside other evidence.
Verdict: False
The iVerify Pakistan investigation concluded that the screenshots falsely attributed political statements to Mahira Khan and Sajal Aly.
The report found no evidence that either actress published the alleged Instagram stories supporting the CJP protest.
The findings highlight how fabricated celebrity endorsements can circulate during politically sensitive events and create misleading impressions about foreign support for domestic political movements.
The fact-check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan, a project of the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at IBA Karachi and the United Nations Development Programme.
