Video of Indian journalist on cross-border funding for PTI is altered

A social media post shows Indian journalist Palki Sharma reporting that politicians linked to the coalition alliance of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi funded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, founded by former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, to gain leverage in the Bihar elections.

The post by a Pakistan-based X user says, “Indian agencies have reportedly uncovered a stunning cross border funding trail. Top Pakistan Tehreek Insaf leaders allegedly received crores from Bihar based NDA politicians to influence Pakistan’s internal politics and project Prime Minister Modi’s strategic dominance after recent tensions. Federal investigators have initiated a full probe and early findings point to a serious breach of political ethics and national security. This story is developing.”

The video shows the Indian journalist saying, “Good evening. We begin tonight with a story that has shaken the very foundations of Indian democracy and national integrity. In a stunning revelation, central agencies have launched a high-stakes investigation into several senior leaders of the NDA alliance in the wake of the recent Bihar elections and what’s emerging is nothing short of explosive.

“According to high level intelligence leaks, four prominent NDA figures, Nitish Kumar, Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha and Upendra Kushwaha are now under the scanner for allegedly funding Pakistan’s political outfit, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Yes, the very PTI that has waged digital warfare against the Pakistani army. Sources claim this was not just funding, it was a carefully coordinated attempt to destabilize Pakistan’s military command, all to paint a dramatic victory narrative for Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the recent Indo-Pak conflict.

“The aim? To engineer chaos across the border and then project Modi as the undisputed wartime statesman. Investigators are tracking encrypted messages, offshore bank links and digital propaganda patterns, all pointing to what insiders are calling the Bihar-backed channel. Intelligence agencies are not ruling out the use of Dubai and UK-based shell firms in transferring funds to PTI-linked operatives and the political fallout is just beginning.

“The opposition has erupted, calling it the biggest act of political betrayal in recent memory. Swearing in of the new Bihar government now hangs in uncertainty. As public anger mounts and national security comes into question, this developing story may very well turn into a constitutional crisis.”

The video was also shared by Reham Khan, the former spouse of Imran Khan, before being deleted.

Fact Check

Fact Check Pakistan determines the video has been manipulated using AI tools. The video has an audio recording dubbed to give the impression that it was reported.

The original video was uploaded on YouTube from the journalist’s news show on the digital outlet Firstpost. The video makes no mention of the PTI, Imran Khan, or the alleged funding, and the journalist did not make any statement on cross-border funding.

A careful analysis shows a picture of PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Khan and Omar Ayub has been inserted in the video. It has been noticed that there is a gap after the journalist says, “In a stunning revelation” which confirms the video has been manipulated. The namebands, “NDA to engineer chaos across the border”, and “Central agencies to launch a high stake investigation of NDA leaders,” have been added.

The report does not provide any further details except that it is a “developing story” and does not cite any sources or references. The news has not been reported by any section of the Indian media or foreign media outlet.

Therefore, it has been concluded that the claims that Indian politicians are involved in cross border funding for the PTI to gain leverage in the local elections are FALSE.