CLAIM

Viral clip of KP CM Sohail Afridi calling the TTP “brothers of Pakhtuns”

RATING JUSTIFICATION

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search and visual analysis of the video.

Multiple people, including the chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (Pemra) Sindh Council of Complaints, shared a video on social media platform X on October 5, 2026, allegedly showing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi calling the banned terrorist Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group “brothers of Pakhtuns”. However, the video is dubbed over with AI-generated audio.

Political uncertainty has deepened in KP amid growing tensions between the federal and provincial governments, with the Centre considering governor’s rule and emergency as possible options due to the security situation.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry recently said that the federal government was “seriously” considering imposing an emergency in response to the worsening security situation in the province. Federal ministers have also harshly criticised the KP government for its performance against terrorism and its handling of the provincial security situation. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has accused the PTI of working in tandem with the TTP.

This comes as the PTI’s march demanding the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan, went ahead after negotiations between the government and opposition ended in a deadlock, with counterterrorism policy among the points of disagreement.

HOW IT STARTED

On October 5, Jalal Sherazi, the social media coordinator for the Strategic Reforms Prime Minister’s Office Team, shared a video allegedly showing CM Afridi calling the TTP “brothers of Pakhtuns” and accusing the government of targeting them with drone strikes and military operations while they fought for the people’s freedom with the following caption: “Sohail Afridi has declared the fitna of Khawarij as his brother!”

The transcription of the video is provided below:

“My brothers and sisters, the mindset of this government is treating you as if your brothers (banned terrorist groups) are against you. Your brothers come for your freedom, but they attack them. Your brothers come to help you. These decision-makers in closed rooms, who launch operations against your brothers. They give our brothers the name of Khawarij. Whereas during the era of Imran Khan.”

Another X account shared the same video with a similar caption.

Another X account, which appears to support the PML-N based on its previous posts, also shared the same video with a similar caption

The post gained 4,756 views.

Wajahat Kazmi, the chairman of Pemra’s Sindh Council of Complaints, also shared the same video with the following caption: “Sohail Afridi has called the TTP his brothers. Shame on PTI, shame on the provincial government, and shame on these people.”

The post accumulated 140,000 views.

On the same day, another X account with a history of sharing disinformation also shared the video with the following caption: “Sohail Afridi is calling these mischief-mongering Kharijites his brothers, those whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) called the dogs of Hell. He is calling the TTP, the killers of hundreds of Pashtuns, his brothers.”

The post accumulated 2,756 views.

Other accounts on X also shared the same video, as can be seen here, here and here.

People were seen criticising and calling out the Pemra official for sharing the video they said was AI-generated, while others were seen believing the other posts.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its dangerous nature of associating a politician with a banned militant outfit and to mitigate the harm from its propagation, as well as keen public interest in the ongoing protest march.

A keyword search traced the video to the speech delivered by CM Afridi in Karak on Oct 5, criticising the Centre’s counterterrorism policy, past military operations and drone attacks.

The video was uploaded on Oct 5, 2026, by the PTI’s official YouTube channel, titled: “The second day of the long march has begun! Sohail Afridi’s first important speech in Karak.”

A review of Afridi’s complete speech found no instance in which he called the TTP “brothers of Pakhtuns” or made the statements attributed to him in the viral video.

The viral video was subsequently analysed using AI forensic tools to determine whether it showed signs of digital manipulation.

Nvidia’s Synthetic Video Detector labelled it a synthetic video.

The video was also analysed using DeepFake-Total, which also marked it as likely AI-generated content.

Furthermore, a keyword search also brought up no reports from any credible mainstream media outlets corroborating the alleged remarks made by CM Afridi in the viral video.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows KP CM Sohail Afridi calling the TTP “brothers of Pashtuns” during a public address is false.

The clip is doctored and has been dubbed over with AI-generated audio.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

Oct 5, 2026, PTI’s YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vai3qkkjJhg