Pakistan News: People fact-check Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif on Kashmir, say used ChatGPT

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s post marking what he called the “darkest day in the history of Kashmir” was swiftly fact-checked by X’s community notes, with several people flagging it as historically inaccurate. To top it all, a person flagged that the post had over 70% generative AI content, saying he was surprised how the Pakistani PM had written a long post without mistakes.

In his post, Sharif accused India of “annexing” Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947, claiming it marked the start of decades of “oppression” and the “denial of Kashmiri self-determination”.

Pakistan observes “Kashmir Black Day” every October 27 to mark what it describes as the anniversary of “India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir”. It’s part of Pakistan’s decades-old disinformation campaign.

The truth is that on October 27, 1947, Indian troops were airlifted to Srinagar after Pakistan-backed Mujaheedeen attacked the Valley. The Pakistani armed aggression came after Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, which marked Jammu and Kashmir formally joining India.

X’s Community Note, that fact-checked Sharif’s claim, is a crowdsourced fact-checking feature where users can add context or corrections to posts that may be misleading or false. Contributions are reviewed by the community and, if approved, the note becomes visible to all, which helps readers get accurate information.

SHAHBAZ SHARIF GETS FACT-CHECKED, SLAMMED FOR POST ON KASHMIR

Sharif’s post quickly drew a community note labelling his assertions as historically and legally inaccurate. The fact-check pointed out that the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, had “legally acceded” to India on October 26, 1947, by signing the Instrument of Accession. Indian troops entered Srinagar the following day. It was not to occupy the region, but to repel Pakistani Mujaheedeens who had launched an armed incursion days earlier.

Shahbaz Sharif’s post, shared from his official handle, accused India of intensifying human rights abuses and altering Kashmir’s demography since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The community note countered these claims with historical documentation. The community note even slipped in a Wikipedia link for Sharif to read.

The correction triggered a wave of reactions on X, with people posting memes, sarcastic jabs, and archival evidence to challenge Sharif’s remarks.

Indians jumped in to mock Sharif for his absurd claim. They flooded X with memes and sarcastic replies, some witty and civil, others far too unfiltered to share here.

SHEHBAZ SHARIF’S X POST ON KASHMIR HAS 73% AI CONTENT

Afghan political expert Qari Eisa Mohammadi held up a mirror to Sharif, saying, “Kashmir under India’s administration today enjoys more security, progress, and a stronger economy. Pakistan itself is struggling with poverty, unemployment, and massive international debts… So what can it really offer to the people of Kashmir?”

“It would be better for Pakistan to solve its own internal problems before giving slogans about others. When a country has to borrow money just to feed its own people, its promises of ‘freedom and prosperity’ for others sound more like a joke than reality!” added Qari Eisa Mohammadi on X.

A person even flagged that Sharif’s post had 73% generative AI content, like from ChatGPT. “I was wondering how you managed to write such a long text without any spelling and grammar mistakes. Then I saw this. Now I understand,” the person said.

Many even echoed that the 1947 events were a response to Pakistan’s aggression, not Indian actions.

WHAT HISTORICAL RECORDS SAY ABOUT EVENTS OF OCTOBER 1947

Historical records, including the Instrument of Accession and accounts from that period, confirm that Jammu and Kashmir’s union with India was lawful and ratified by Governor-General Lord Mountbatten on October 27, 1947.

In late October 1947, Pakistan-backed tribal militias, often referred to as Mujaheedeens, launched an armed invasion of Kashmir. They primarily entered through the Muzaffarabad and Poonch routes in the western and southwestern parts of the princely state.

The sudden attack overwhelmed local forces and threatened Srinagar, prompting Maharaja Hari Singh to seek military assistance. Until then, the Maharaja had decided that his kingdom would stay independent. But while Pakistan sent Mujaheedeens into the Kashmir Valley, in the north, it used the support of pro-Pakistan British officers to seize control of Gilgit-Baltistan and annex it.

Facing no alternative, Hari Singh turned to the Indian leadership, writing to Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for help. India agreed to intervene, but only after Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, legally ceding Jammu and Kashmir to India. Indian troops were then airlifted into Srinagar on October 27, 1947, to repel the invading forces from Pakistan and secure the region.

While a UN resolution later called for a plebiscite, it did not invalidate the accession.

This isn’t the first time Shehbaz Sharif has been called out for spreading historically inaccurate claims. He has faced fact-checks on multiple occasions. And tools like X’s community notes have shown they can effectively check habitual fake-news spreaders like him in real time.

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