Viral video of man crafting a statue of Imran Khan

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team critically analysed the video and conducted a digital forensic analysis using AI-detection tools.

Several people have been sharing a video since December 3, 2025, on multiple social media platforms allegedly showing an elderly carpenter crafting a statue of PTI founder Imran Khan. However, the video is AI-generated.

HOW IT STARTED

On Dec 3, a video was shared on TikTok by a user who appeared to be a PTI supporter based on his past posts and profile picture, showing an elderly carpenter crafting a statue of Imran, without any caption.

The post did not mention or provide any information about the carpenter, nor did it provide any details of time, location or the source of the video. It also did not clarify whether the video was real or AI-generated.

The video gained over 7.2 million views and 814,200 likes.

The same video was shared by another PTI supporter on X with the following caption: “The tale of Imran Khan and the nation’s love continues.”

The post gained 78,000 views.

Moeed Pirzada, a former anchorperson, also posted the video on his X account, with the following caption: “King of hearts.”

The post gained 85,000 views.

The video was also reshared by the official X account of the PTI’s Multan chapter.

The same video was also shared by other PTI supporters on X, as can be seen, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining more than 116,000 views.

It was also shared on other platforms such as Facebook here, here, here, and here, collectively gaining 83,000 views; on TikTok here, here, here, and here; and on YouTube here, here, and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the former premier.

Observing the video critically showed various visual inconsistencies indicative of AI-generated videos such as morphing. When the video begins, the carpenter does not have a hammer but just the handle in his hand.

At the 1-second mark, he is hammering the metal tool with the wooden handle of the hammer.

At the 6-second mark, his hammering tool is at a clear distance from the other metal tool, even though the sound of hammering can be heard.

At the 10-second mark, his brush turns to a cloth, which he uses to rub the sculpture.

Lastly, at the 12-second mark, the cloth vanishes in the air.

Analysing the video through AI-detection tool Hive Moderation flagged it as “likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content” with a score of 99.7 per cent.

Furthermore, a reverse image search conducted to trace the video yielded a Facebook post uploaded on December 2, 2025, by Swabi Press, a local digital media outlet.

The video was captioned: “Follow our ID for more amazing art, Artwork AI — By Qaiser Shah.”

As can be seen, the video shared by Swabi Press was the same as the viral clip, proving that it is AI-generated.

Furthermore, it was also found that the same local digital media outlet had previously shared another similar AI-generated video, featuring a carpenter crafting a statue of cricketer Babar Azam.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows a carpenter crafting a statue of Imran Khan is false.

The video is AI-generated.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

Dec 2, 2025, Swabi press Facebook video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1375175870919886?locale=be_BY