AI-Generated Audio Falsely Attributed to Erdoğan on Imran Khan in Pakistani Parliament
A February 2025 Facebook post shared audio purportedly from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressing support for Pakistani former premier Imran Khan during a National Assembly address. Fact-checkers determined the audio was AI-generated, Erdoğan never addressed the assembly during his 2025 visit, and the video footage was from his 2020 trip to Pakistan.
What happened
On 15 February 2025, a Facebook post attributed to user 'Sardar Umair Ibrahim PTI' shared a video claiming to show Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressing Pakistan's National Assembly during his February 2025 visit, expressing support for former Prime Minister Imran Khan and wishing to shake his hand.
Fact-checkers determined the audio was synthetic and AI-generated. Erdoğan did not address the National Assembly during his 2025 visit to Pakistan. The accompanying video footage was from his 2020 visit to the country, and included a doctored image of Imran Khan.
Reported impact
The misinformation was posted on Facebook with a caption in Urdu claiming the remarks sent significant political repercussions for the Pakistani government and suggesting the Turkish president's statements were bolder than those of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members of the National Assembly.
Index analysis
Fact-checker Soch Fact Check, accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network, verified the English-language audio translation with a freelance writer from Turkish outlet Teyit but confirmed the audio itself was AI-generated rather than authentic remarks by Erdoğan.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.