A viral video falsely attributed to former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, in which he appears to confess to being unable to make independent judicial decisions in cases involving Imran Khan, has been identified as digitally manipulated, according to an AFP Fact Check. The report also suggests that the video’s audio was likely generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
According to AFP, the video circulated widely on X and Facebook, claiming that Qazi Faez Isa admitted he did not have complete authority to issue independent verdicts as Chief Justice and that his role in cases involving Imran Khan was limited. The clip also carried text alleging that he had no personal animosity toward Imran Khan and that it was the “system” that opposed him.
However, the fact check found these claims to be false. The original footage was taken from Qazi Faez Isa’s address and Q&A session at the Oxford Union in October 2022, when he was serving as a judge of the Supreme Court—not as Chief Justice. In the authentic recording, he made no remarks suggesting that the judiciary had issued biased rulings against Imran Khan or that he was unable to make independent decisions.
The report further stated that several sentences in the viral clip were digitally inserted afterward. Digital forensics firm GetReal Labs also concluded that the audio was most likely AI-generated, citing noticeable mismatches between the speaker’s lip movements and the accompanying voice.
AFP added that Qazi Faez Isa assumed office as Chief Justice of Pakistan on September 17, 2023, nearly a year after the original video was recorded. Therefore, the statements attributed to him in the viral clip were not part of the actual interview.
It is worth noting that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its supporters have previously criticized several judicial decisions delivered during Qazi Faez Isa’s tenure as Chief Justice. However, independent fact-checking found no evidence to support the claims made in the viral video and concluded that they were misleading.
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