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Pakistan-administered Kashmir turmoil triggers spread of AI shooter clip
Pakistan-administered Kashmir turmoil triggers spread of AI shooter clip
Yusra JABEEN / AFP PakistanThu, August 6, 2026 at 9:28 AM UTC3 min readAdd Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.Protesters and security personnel engaged in deadly clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as the sensitive Himalayan region headed to the polls in July, but footage being linked to the turmoil of a man firing a pistol is AI-generated. An analysis of the clip found multiple visual inconsistencies, while detection tools have flagged it as inauthentic.
"This Indian Action Committee member, a terrorist from the Umar Nazir Kashmiri group, was directly firing at the security forces, killing two police officers on the spot," reads part of an Urdu-language X post shared on July 28, 2026.
The featured eight-second video appears to show a man repeatedly firing a pistol at an off-screen target while a group of people stand and sit in the background.
AdvertisementAdvertisementUmar Nazir Kashmiri is one of the leaders of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which the local government had earlier banned under anti-terrorism laws, sparking a wave of demonstrations ( archived link).
"Indian Action Committee" is a term commonly used by opponents of JAAC to suggest the group is backed by Pakistan's archrival neighbour India ( archived link).
Screenshot of the false X post, taken on July 28, 2026, with a red X and AI logo added by AFP
The video was also shared on Facebook as fresh unrest erupted during the first day of polling in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on July 27 ( archived link).
The clashes mostly took place around the city of Rawalakot, the epicentre of weeks of demonstrations.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe JAAC has been demanding the abolishment of 12 seats in the local legislature reserved for those who left, what is now, the India-administered portion of Kashmir.
JAAC supporters, who have called on residents to boycott the vote, say the seats are used by major Pakistani political parties to tip the composition of the local parliament in their favour with those who mostly reside outside the region.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but has been divided between the two countries since their independence from British rule in 1947.
Rawalakot Commissioner Sardar Waheed told AFP that one security force member was killed, and three others were wounded in the recent clashes.
AdvertisementAdvertisementA JAAC spokesperson said at least 20 supporters were dead, but officials say they cannot verify that number because civilian casualties are not being taken to government hospitals.
Pakistan's military has not confirmed any casualty figures and told AFP to refer to local authorities for queries on the toll.
But online claims that the circulating video is a genuine depiction of the situation in the region are false; an analysis found it had been generated using AI.
At the beginning of the clip, as the shooter fires the gun, two men riding a motorcycle can be seen behind him. But they appear to ride towards where he was shooting, not away.
AdvertisementAdvertisementMoreover, the hand and the head of one of the passengers appear deformed, a telltale sign of AI-generated content.
One of the shops visible in the footage displays the logo of the popular coating brand Gobi's Paints, but the word "Paints" has been replaced with unreadable text ( archived link).
The crowd also appears unusually calm and does not react to the shooting.
Screenshots of frames from the circulating clip, with the errors highlighted
Hive Moderation's AI detection programme and DeepFake‑O‑Meter -- a widely used detection tool developed by the University at Buffalo -- both indicated the clip was likely AI-generated.
Screenshots of results from Hive Moderation (L) and DeepFake-O-Meter
AFP has debunked other misinformation about Pakistan-administered Kashmir.