Claim: An image shows former senator and Jamaat-e-Islami member Mushtaq Ahmad distributing aid in Gaza.
Fact: The image is AI-generated. The former senator is currently under detention in Israel, along with other politicians and activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla.
An image showing Mushtaq Ahmad allegedly distributing aid in Gaza was shared online on 1 October. It contained the following text: سینیٹر مشتاق احمد صاحب غزه پہنچنے کے بعد 25 کروڑ عوام کی نمائندگی کرتے ہوئے ، بے حال عوام میں راشن تقسیم کرتے ہوئے۔
[Translation: Senator Mr Mushtaq Ahmad, after arriving in Gaza, distributed rations among the impoverished people, representing 25 crore citizens.]
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check found the image dubious as Mushtaq Ahmad was aboard a vessel, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla fleet, which was intercepted by Israeli forces on 1 October. The Flotilla is a coordinated, nonviolent fleet of small vessels sailing from ports across the Mediterranean “to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea.” The former Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was leading the Pakistani delegation, reached Tunisia to join the fleet in September.
On 3 October, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that the former senator had been detained by Israel. On 6 October, the Foreign Office announced that it is working to secure his safe evacuation. These developments confirmed that the Flotilla was seized by Israeli forces before it could reach Gaza. Therefore, the image claiming to show Mushtaq Ahmad distributing aid is fake.
Soch Fact Check suspected that the image is likely AI-generated and analysed it using Sight Engine, a content moderation and image analysis tool that detects AI-generated media. According to the results, there was a 97% likelihood that the viral image was AI-generated.
According to the results, the“Recraft” classification received a score of 61%, and “Stable diffusion” was rated at 21%, meaning that the fake image of the former senator most likely created using the Recraft model. The Recraft V3 model is tailored for professional designers and creatives, offering features such as precise text rendering, customisable styles, and the ability to generate both photorealistic and vector images.
Virality
The claim was shared here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive) on Facebook.
On X, it was shared here (archive).
On Instagram, it was shared here (archive).
Conclusion: The viral image is likely AI-generated. Mushtaq Ahmed has been detained by Israel, along with other politicians and activists who were also aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla.
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Background image in cover photo: @SenatorMushtaq/X
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