Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a digitally manipulated video falsely purporting to be of Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas saying: “We have been assured by senior government officials that we will not let Iranian terrorist attacks on Indian merchant ships go unnoticed. Our targets will continue to be all countries that receive oil supplies from Iran and those that provide arms and weapons to the terrorist Iranian regime.”
Fact check:
Upon investigation, the DFRAC team found that the viral video was digitally manipulated. A keyframe search using the reverse image tool found the original video on PIB’s official YouTube channel.
Further research led us to reliable media sources like ANI and Deccan Herald. Both outlets published reports featuring visuals similar to the March 12 viral video.
According to the ANI report titled “Government urges citizens to avoid panic bookings and ensure stable supply of LPG and fuel amid global energy disruption,” the officials’ remarks focused on ensuring fuel availability, maintaining stability of supply and curbing panic buying. There was no mention of military action or threats against other countries.
Similarly, Deccan Herald’s report entitled “70% of Crude Oil Imports via Non-Hormuz Route: India No Need to Panic” reported on the same press conference. The visuals used in the viral clip are consistent with this official communication, confirming that the footage was taken out of context and reused with false and misleading claims.
We also used the AI detection tool Hive Moderation to analyze the videos. Analysis showed signs of synthetic audio manipulation, suggesting that the narration was artificially generated and superimposed on the original footage. For further verification, our team reached out to AI expert Mayank Sharma. He acknowledged that the audio in the viral video appears to have been generated by AI.
Conclusion:
This viral video is a fake modified by artificial intelligence. The original footage was taken from a legitimate government meeting and manipulated to insert fabricated statements.
