A Pakistan Islamist party leader’s fiery speech against the country’s powerful military in July 2026 drew sharp rebukes from several officials, but rumours online that Maulana Fazlur Rehman was criticised by his own son are baseless. The circulating video is a manipulated version of footage that predates Rehman’s remarks by over a year, with the audio “likely a deepfake”, according to an analysis using an AI detection tool.
“Big News: Diesel’s own son has distanced himself from his father because of Diesel’s nonsense,” reads an Urdu-language Facebook post that shared the video July 16, 2026.
Rehman, a firebrand cleric who heads Jamiat-e-Ulama Islami (F), one of the country’s largest Islamist parties, formerly served as the minister of petroleum, leading his political opponents to dub him “Maulana Diesel” ( archived link).
In the video circulating online, his son Asad Mehmood appears to say: “Today, I want to say a few words regarding a statement my father made about the Pakistan Army. The words he used reflect his personal opinion. As his son, I regret those remarks because I believe that differences of opinion should always be expressed in a respectful and responsible manner.”
He appears to apologise for his father’s remarks while urging people to maintain mutual respect despite their differences.
Screenshot of the false post captured on August 3, 2026, with a red X and AI label added by AFP
Similar claims surfaced on Instagram, TikTok and X after Rehman made remarks on July 12 during a rally in Kasur, south of Lahore, where he appeared to suggest soldiers are willing to be killed because of their salaries ( archived link).
Multiple officials — mostly from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) — condemned his remarks (archived here, here, here and here).
However, there are no official reports that his son Mehmood apologised on his father’s behalf.
A reverse image search using keyframes found the circulating clip matches footage shared on the party’s official X account on November 30, 2024. In the video, Mehmood is seen speaking to the press during a visit to Chichawatni city in Punjab province ( archived link).
Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the party’s X post
A review of the footage shows Mehmood does not mention his father.
He discusses the party’s efforts to contest in local elections in several provinces, and also about the impact of the 2024 general elections, including incidents of violence at several polling stations in areas contested by party members.
An analysis of the clip found Mehmood’s voice in the original X video is significantly different from the circulating video.
Moreover, the Hiya voice cloning detection tool in the Verification Plugin analysed the audio and gave an authenticity score of 1/100, concluding that it is “likely a deepfake.”
AFP reached out to Jamiat-e-Ulama Islami (F) party for comment, but there has been no response.
AFP has previously debunked misinformation about Pakistan’s major political parties.