Pakistani actresses urge authorities to respond to violent

Pakistani actresses and public figures have issued an urgent appeal to authorities to address the proliferation of AI-generated videos on Instagram that depict violence against and the humiliation of celebrities. The situation gained public attention after digital creator Muhammad Ahsan highlighted an Instagram account that utilized deepfake technology to create harmful content.

What happened

The issue centers on an Instagram account that published AI-generated videos featuring the likenesses of various Pakistani and international celebrities, including actress Hania Aamir. In these recordings, a deepfake representing the account owner was depicted hitting, pushing, dancing with, or hugging deepfakes of other public figures. Beyond physical violence, the page featured content showing inappropriate behavior and the humiliation of actors, influencers, and content creators.

While the account received some positive engagement from users in the comment sections, it also triggered a wave of criticism and calls for intervention. Actresses including Mahira Khan, Kinza Hashmi, and Zara Tareen have publicly condemned the content. They are urging officials in Punjab, Sindh, and Islamabad to take action, identifying the creator, and filing official police complaints.

Currently, Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act lacks specific provisions addressing AI-generated content. However, authorities have previously utilized existing laws—such as Article 20 regarding online defamation and Article 21 concerning modesty and non-consensual imagery—to prosecute deepfake-related cases. For instance, Punjab police previously applied these statutes to address AI deepfakes targeting the Punjab Chief Minister. Advocates argue that the creation of such violent digital content must be explicitly criminalized to protect public figures from further abuse.