Who is behind the deepfake targeting Indian Army? Iram Khan, Farhan Virk & Pakistan-based network in focus

NEW DELHI: A controversy over a deepfake video targeting the Indian Army has brought renewed attention to the role of cross-border social media networks in spreading misleading narratives about India’s national security. A thread circulating on social media has alleged that a Pakistan-based digital network involving Iram Ahmad Khan, her husband Dr Farhan K Virk and another individual, Jalal Sherazi, is connected to a wider propaganda operation directed against India. This ISI and China-trained Pakistani woman, Iram Ahmad Khan, and her husband, Dr. Farhan K. Virk, are behind all the deepfake videos to target our Indian Army. Congress spokesperson shares deepfake videos prepared by the ISI. Read this explosive thread👇 https://t.co/f9spuVspbm pic.twitter.com/3XafJGo0s3 — Office Of Vijay Patel (@VijayGajeraO) October 26, 2026 The controversy gained political significance after Congress spokesperson Ritu Choudhary shared videos making claims about Chinese advances into Indian territory and the denial of essential supplies to Indian Army personnel. The Army subsequently debunked the material, identifying one video as a digitally manipulated recording containing fabricated remarks attributed to Lieutenant General Girish Kalia. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju called on the Congress to apologise for sharing the misleading content. Congress Party must apologize to the nation for spreading fake AI video to tarnish the image of Indian Army. यह एक विश्वासघाती कृत्य है और हमारे दुश्मनों के घिनौने कामों के बराबर है। कांग्रेस पार्टी भारत के दुश्मनों का घटिया अभियान चला रही है। pic.twitter.com/AXNSoPDCbH — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 26, 2026 The social media thread raises questions about the Pakistani accounts through which the material circulated, the individuals purportedly operating them and how the video reached Indian political circles. It claims that the network has connections to Pakistan’s military public relations establishment and has participated in campaigns intended to influence Indian public opinion. However, the claimed intelligence connections of the individuals named in the thread and their involvement in producing the specific deepfake have not been independently verified through the evidence cited here. Iram Ahmad Khan and Farhan K Virk: ISI and China connections The thread focuses on Iram Ahmad Khan and her husband, Dr Farhan K Virk, whom it identifies as key figures in a Pakistani social media network accused of spreading anti-India propaganda. According to the thread, the couple previously managed social media activities associated with former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan before becoming involved with networks linked to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the military’s public relations wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The thread further tells that Khan and Virk travelled to China on multiple occasions and received support or training connected to Chinese interests. It cites photographs and interactions with Chinese representatives as part of its account of their alleged links with organisations in Pakistan and China. These claims, if substantiated, would raise questions about the relationship between political messaging, foreign influence operations and the use of social media to shape perceptions of India. However, photographs of meetings or foreign visits cannot, by themselves, establish intelligence links, covert training or involvement in a coordinated operation against another country. The thread also claims that Khan has been involved in online campaigns concerning Kashmir and that accounts associated with the couple have promoted narratives critical of Indian security agencies and the Indian Army. A change in an account’s name or handle can complicate efforts to trace its history, particularly when older posts are deleted, content is reposted through intermediary accounts or access to the original profile is restricted in a particular country. The thread highlights the account’s reported change of identity deserves scrutiny in light of the video’s subsequent circulation in India. It asks how the footage reached a Congress spokesperson if the Pakistani account that originally posted it had already been withheld in India. Deepfake fabricates remarks about Chinese control in Arunachal Pradesh The controversy centres on a video that falsely portrayed Lieutenant General Girish Kalia as admitting that China had taken control of areas in Arunachal Pradesh and that Indian troops deployed in the region were being denied essential supplies. The Indian Army’s fact-checking unit clarified that the video used AI-enabled lip-syncing and voice cloning over authentic archival footage. The original recording was from a press briefing delivered by then Major General Girish Kalia in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 27, 2023, concerning infiltration attempts across the Line of Control. During that briefing, Kalia discussed counter-infiltration operations and security developments in J&K. He did not make the statements about Chinese control of Arunachal Pradesh attributed to him in the manipulated video. A separate video also circulated with misleading claims about Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La in Sikkim. The Army clarified that Nathu La is an authorised border trade point and that the movement of commercial vehicles there was being misrepresented as evidence of an unauthorised Chinese intrusion. The two incidents illustrate how authentic footage can be stripped of context or altered to construct a false narrative about India’s territorial security. By attributing fabricated statements to a senior military officer, a deepfake can create the impression that the Army has privately acknowledged a territorial setback or a failure in operational preparedness. Such material can spread rapidly before official clarifications reach the same audience. The Army’s fact-check establishes that the statements attributed to Kalia in the manipulated video were fabricated. It does not, by itself, establish who commissioned the video or whether a particular intelligence agency directed its creation. The thread identifies Jalal Sherazi as another individual associated with the network. It claims that he has worked with Khan and Virk since 2018 and acts as a social media coordinator connected to Pakistan’s political leadership. It further alleges that Sherazi serves as a liaison between the couple and the ISPR, the Pakistani military’s public relations organisation. J&K campaigns and social media propaganda teams The thread further claims that Khan has organised social media campaigns concerning J&K and operates multiple teams, including an account identified as @teamGreen_pk3, to circulate narratives against India and the Indian Army. It further claims that social media agencies associated with the couple […]