Claim:Afghanistan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi announced plans to build a Hindu temple in Afghanistan in exchange for dollars.
fact:That claim is false. This video has been enhanced with AI-generated audio.
HYDERABAD: Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in India on October 9 for a six-day visit, the first visit by a senior Taliban official since the group came to power in 2021. His visit is aimed at expanding ties between Kabul and New Delhi.
Meanwhile, a video of Muttaqi purportedly announcing that he would build a temple to a Hindu god in Afghanistan in exchange for dollars went viral on social media.
“I told Modiji that if he gave the Taliban a few dollars, I would build temples of Shiva and Vishnu Devi in Kabul, Kandahar and Helmand so that believers from India could make religious pilgrimages to Afghanistan. We chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' here. We are grateful and indebted to Modiji,” he was quoted as saying. Prime Minister Modi has given us a lot of love. ”
Sharing the video, user X claimed, “Breaking News: Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Mutaqqi announced that Afghanistan is ready to open idol-worshiping temples in Afghanistan in exchange for Indian funds.” (archive)
NewsMeter found this claim to be false as the viral clips were manipulated using AI. Mr. Muttaki has not made any such announcement.
Inconsistencies in the video
Since arriving in India, Muttaqi has been holding press conferences and addressing the media in Urdu. His Urdu or Hindi accent, fluency and pronunciation are noticeably lacking. However, in this viral clip, he appears to be speaking fluent Urdu, which strongly suggests that the video was manipulated.
Video source
A reverse image search of keyframes in the video led us to a 45-minute press conference by Muttaqi published by ANI on October 12.
During the press conference, Muttaqi discussed the foreign policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and emphasized his desire for balanced relations with all countries, including India and Pakistan. He cited the recent conflict with Pakistan, asserting that Afghanistan has the right to protect its borders and has retaliated against violations, but ultimately expressed a preference for negotiations and peace.
Mutaki also spoke about the security situation in Afghanistan, claiming that the country has become safe for trade and investment, and defended the government's position on women's rights, asserting that women are protected under Islamic law. He also referred to the progress in diplomatic relations with India, noting that technical missions are being elevated to a diplomatic level.
However, nowhere at the press conference were plans announced to build Hindu temples in Afghanistan in exchange for dollars.
We performed a keyword search and found no reliable reports of Muttaqi announcing Hindu temples in Afghanistan.
What does the AI Detector report say?
When we analyzed the audio using Deepfake-o-Meter, we found that four detectors flagged it as potentially AI-generated, with confidence scores of 99.5 percent, 99.9 percent, 99.9 percent, and 100 percent, respectively.
Therefore, based on our findings, we conclude that the viral video of Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi has been manipulated by adding AI-generated audio.
