Although former Pakistani leader Imran Khan continues to oppose the government from prison, social media users have shared an edited video that appears to show former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ) son of the woman called on Khan to lead the country again. Muhammad Safdar actually criticized Khan's policies in the original 2023 video.
The two-minute clip surfaced in a Jan. 18, 2025 X post and has since gained over 100,000 views.
This seems to show retired Army officer Muhammad Safdar said: “Pakistan is calling you. It is called Imran Khan. Provide instructions to the country. A national committee should be established. These judges and generals should be punished. The country will improve.”
In another part of the speech, he allegedly criticized Nawaz’s brother, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He seems to say that Shibaz “puts the country into Sri Lanka”, which clearly refers to the political and economic crisis of nearby island countries.
The post’s long title “Captain Safda is on fire,” the post continues in the video what Safdala calls remarks.
Screenshot of fake posts taken on February 25, 2025
The video also spread on Facebook and was accused in about 200 cases as Khan claimed it was politically motivated (archived link) .
He has launched an unprecedented campaign from prison to publicly criticize Pakistan's powerful generals, analysts say the country is the king-maker of the country, despite denying interference in politics.
Khan's popularity also continues to undermine the shaky coalition government, which kept his PTI party in power in the 2024 elections and sometimes violent protests over his treatment paralyzed the capital Islamabad.
However, the loop fragment of Safdar has been manipulated.
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A keyword search on YouTube found it with his press conference (archive link) for local traders advocated by local traders on January 27, 2023.
The live streamer is hosted on the YouTube account of Pakistani news channel GNN. During the event, Safdar praised Nawaz Sharif and criticized the economic and political policies of the Khan government.
Safdar is seen wearing similar outfits in GNN videos and the changed videos, which have been cropped and reflected.
Comparison of screenshots of fake posts (left) and videos from GNN's corresponding press conference (right)
On longer video 10:27-Mark, Safdar attributes to current deputy prime minister and former finance minister Ishaq Dar stabilizes the economy after Khan's removal (repository link) .
He said at 10:41-Mark: “Pakistan is calling to you, it is calling to people” (link to archive). This section is called “Pakistan’s appeal to Imran Khan” in the videos in circulation.
He said that in the 10:15-Mark mark, Khan turned the country into Sri Lanka – not Shehbaz Sharif, as heard in the video in Fake Posts (archive link).
AFP repeatedly debunked misinformation around the former jail prime minister.
