Fact-check: No, BBC did not air a documentary accusing President Asif Ali Zardari of corruption

BBC confirms no documentary on Asif Ali Zardari; fabricated video made using AI tools

A video circulating on social media purportedly shows a documentary aired by BBC about Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari’s alleged involvement in corruption and his links with criminal networks in the Sindh province.

The claim is false. No such documentary has been produced or broadcast by the British network.

Claim

On August 20, a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared an over two-minute video clip from a supposed BBC documentary.

The narrator states: “Asif Ali Zardari is not just a name. He is a curse imposed on Sindh for the past 18 years, festering like an unhealed wound. He hasn't just looted the province’s resources with impunity, but also empowered criminal networks, turning Sindh into a security risk for the state.”

The narration goes on to accuse President Zardari and several individuals allegedly linked to him of financing and protecting criminal groups operating in Sindh.

The claim was shared by other accounts on the platform as well which can be seen here, here and here.

Fact

The BBC did not air any such documentary against the president of Pakistan. The video was, in fact, created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, as confirmed by the British broadcaster and independent verification tools.

Hive Moderation, a deepfake detection tool, found the audio to be 99% likely to have been created using AI.

Hive Moderation confirms that the audio has been generated using AI.
Hive Moderation confirms that the audio has been generated using AI.

Additionally, a BBC spokesperson in London confirmed to Geo Fact Check via email that the British broadcaster did not air any such documentary.

"We can confirm the video has been fabricated and you will not find it on any BBC platforms. We encourage everyone to use credible, trusted sources of news," the spokesperson said.

Verdict: The documentary was not produced or published by the BBC and was created using AI tools to imitate the broadcaster’s style.


Follow @GeoFactCheck on X and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. To report corrections, contact us at [email protected].