AI-altered clip features fabricated Modi comments on Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict

"Breaking News: Indian journalist Geeta Biswas has released the censored portion of Narendra Modi's speech, which was not allowed to be broadcast on any Indian media. Modi explained the full details of the next strategic breakthrough," reads an Urdu-language X post published on October 20, 2025.

The post features a video of Modi, dressed in an Indian Navy uniform and hat giving a speech on what looks like an aircraft carrier. 

The 1:26-long clip starts with Modi saying: "I want to say this, no soldier of India will be martyred on the border because we have made Afghanistan our servants. These people, for a few dollars, will lick my shoes."

He then claims that India will use Afghans to fight against Pakistan to weaken it, and that the strategy is to pit the two Muslim countries against each other.

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Screenshot taken on November 5, 2025, of the false X post with a red X added by AFP

The same clip was also shared on TikTok and Facebook, circulating after fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan in early October killed 70 people, including around 50 Afghan civilians, according to the United Nations (archived link).

The clashes were triggered by explosions in Kabul which the Taliban blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan has not confirmed it was behind the attacks (archived link).

Five more people were killed in cross-border fire on November 6, while talks to finalise details of an October 19 truce in Turkey failed on November 8, with both sides blaming the other for the impasse (archived here and here).

Separately, rivals India and Pakistan had engaged in the worst fighting since 1999 in May, with missile, drone and artillery exchanges killing more than 70 people on both sides. (archived link).

However, the clip of Modi's speech has been altered with AI.

Signs of digital manipulation

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the circulating clip led to a YouTube video livestreamed on October 20, 2025 by The Tribune newspaper titled "PM Modi's speech during Diwali celebration with armed forces on board the INS Vikrant" (archived link).

During the nearly two-hour speech, Modi spoke about the success of "Operation Sindoor", India's name for its missile strikes against what New Delhi termed "terrorist camps" in Pakistan during the conflict in May. He also praised the Indian Navy.

"INS Vikrant reflects the capability of India's armed forces. Its very name gave Pakistan sleepless nights during Operation Sindoor," Modi said.

He made no mention of Afghanistan, or using the Taliban to fight Pakistan. 

His speech was also reported by Times of India, which did not mention Afghanistan either (archived link). 

AFP ran the clip through the deepfake-o-meter tool developed by University at Buffalo which found it to be 100 percent likely generated by AI (archived link).

The circulating clip also contains inconsistencies indicating it was altered with AI, such as Modi's lips moving unnaturally and an echo in the audio not present in the original clip.

A circular mark on a structure in the background appears stretched and oval-shaped compared with the original footage. A glass of water visible in the livestream is also missing from the AI-altered version.

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Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and The Tribune livestream (right) with differences marked in red and yellow by AFP

An AFP correspondent in New Delhi did not find any journalist named Geeta Biswas, which in fact appears to be a wordplay on Geeta Vishwas, a fictional journalist from the 1990s Indian superhero television series Shaktimaan (archived link).

AFP has debunked other misinformation regarding the recent conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.