LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cyber crime wing has registered a case against PTI leader Shahbaz Gill and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan, and arrested two more for their alleged involvement in “editing and spreading” doctored images/videos of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on social media.

Shahbaz Gill and Imran Riaz have been booked under sections 20, 21(d), 24 of PECA 2016 for spreading the AI-generated videos and images of Maryam and Mr Nahyan through their X (formerly Twitter).

Another suspect, Muhammad Nadeem Javed, has been booked under similar charges. The sections 20 and 21 of PECA propose imprisonment of up to seven years and fine of up to Rs5 million. Under section 24 (d) imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years can be handed down to a suspect.

The PTI leader and the known YouTuber have been accused of inciting public to share “derogatory Al generated superimposed material against the foreign dignitaries and public functionaries of Pakistan”.

The FIR says: “The suspects intentionally shared the AI-generated images and videos to deteriorate the good relation of Pakistan with international powers that can cause an irreparable loss to the national interest of the country. They in connivance with others are trying to tarnish the public image of foreign dignitaries and government functionaries.” Mr Gill is in the US while Mr Khan is also believed to have left the country.

The FIA also arrested two more suspects – Muhammad Ejaz from Muzaffargarh and Aamir Abbas from Toba Tek Singh – in this case. Earlier, the FIA had arrested five suspects in the ongoing investigation into the matter.

The FIA has also formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising the deputy directors from Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, and Lahore. The FIA scrutinised a number of suspected accounts on social media and registered cases against the culprits.

According to the FIA, preliminary findings showed that 20 social media accounts were involved in uploading the manipulated images and videos of the UAE President and the Punjab CM. The identified accounts were reportedly used to spread false visuals and create a negative impression among social media users.

The UAE president had arrived at the Rahim Yar Khan Airport early this month where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed him. Maryam Nawaz was also present there and greeted the visiting dignitary.

Later, AI-generated videos and pictures of her interaction with the UAE president were widely circulated online.

The FIA cyber crime wing, Lahore, became complainant in this matter and launched the probe.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2025