AI-altered image used to push claims India behind Pakistan-administered Kashmir protests
- Published on August 11, 2026 at 09:12
- 4 min read
- By AFP Pakistan
As protesters and security personnel engaged in deadly clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir ahead of regional polls, an AI-doctored image was falsely shared in posts claiming it showed India was pulling the strings of the protest movement. The image was altered to make it appear as if an Indian official was at a demonstration in the UK drawing attention to the unrest, but a review of footage of the rally shows the official's face had been superimposed over that of another man in the crowd.
"We've been saying from day one that India's Hindutva Modi government is backing the Indian Action Committee," says part of the Urdu-language caption of a Facebook image shared on August 4, 2026.
The "Indian Action Committee" is a mocking moniker for the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a protest movement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The Muslim-majority region is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but has been divided between the two countries since their independence from British rule in 1947.
Opponents of the JAAC -- which the Pakistan government banned under anti-terrorism laws in June, sparking a wave of demonstrations and clashes that killed dozens with hundreds arrested -- allege the group is backed by India.
The shared image appears to show a man taking part in a protest on a British street, with some demonstrators carrying the flag of Azad Kashmir, the Pakistan-administered territory of Kashmir.
Superimposed in the bottom-left corner is a photo supposedly showing the same individual, next to a screenshot indicating his name is Shri Ram Prakash and that he works at the Indian High Commission in London.
"The participation of the Indian High Commission in the Indian Action Committee's rally in London has proven this to be true," the caption concludes.
The same image was also shared in similar Instagram and X posts after protesters and security personnel in Pakistan-administered Kashmir engaged in deadly clashes as the sensitive Himalayan region goes to the polls (archived link).
The JAAC has been calling for the abolition of 12 seats in the local legislature reserved for people who migrated from Indian-administered Kashmir.
Supporters of the movement, who urged residents to boycott the vote, argue that major Pakistani political parties use these seats to influence the composition of the local parliament in their favour with those who mostly reside outside the region.
Polling in two districts was postponed because of security concerns, the election commission said on August 7, days before the third phase of elections was scheduled.
Overseas Kashmiris have organised demonstrations in the United Kingdom to raise awareness about the situation, but the circulating image does not show an Indian official attending one of these rallies -- it was manipulated with AI.
Doctored image
A reverse image search on Google led to corresponding footage shared by Pakistani news outlet Geo News' UK Bureau Chief Murtaza Ali Shah on X on August 2 (archived link).
"British Kashmiris marched through Luton to express concern over the ongoing situation in AJK," reads its caption, using the initials for Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The X video, however, shows a different man to the person highlighted in the false posts.
The same person shown in Shah's video can be seen elsewhere in the footage he shared, as well as in other footage of the Luton demonstration (archived here and here).
An analysis of the falsely shared image using Open AI's image verification site detected a SynthID watermark and concluded it was "generated using Open AI tools" (archived here and here).
Different official
The person named in the false posts, Shri Ram Prakash, is listed on the Indian High Commission in London website as the Principal Private Secretary (Second Secretary) to the Deputy High Commissioner (archived link).
But the individual whose face was used in the false posts is Harsh Kumar Jain, the Indian ambassador to the Philippines (archived link).
The picture used in the bottom-left corner of the falsely shared image was lifted from a photograph of Jain taken during a meeting with Ukraine's then first deputy minister of foreign affairs, Andrii Sybiha, in April 2024 (archived link). At the time, Jain was India's ambassador to Ukraine.
AFP has previously debunked other false claims related to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Copyright © AFP 2017-2026. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
