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( MENAFN - AFP) Pakistani politician Azma Bukhari is haunted by a counterfeit image of herself -- a sexualised deepfake video published to discredit her role as one of the nation's few female leaders. "I was shattered when it came into my knowledge," said 48-year-old Bukhari, the information Minister of Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab. Deepfakes -- which manipulate genuine audio, photos or video of people into false likenesses -- are becoming increasingly convincing and easier to make as artificial intelligence (AI) enters the mainstream. In Pakistan, where media literacy is poor, they are being weaponised to smear women in the public sphere with sexual innuendo deeply damaging to their reputations in a country with conservative mores. Bukhari -- who regularly appears on TV -- recalls going quiet for days after she saw the video of her face superimposed on the sexualised body of an Indian actor in a clip quickly spreading on social media. "It was very difficult, I was depressed," she told AFP in her home in the eastern city of Lahore. "My daughter, she hugged me and said: 'Mama, you have to fight it out'." After initially recoiling she is pressing her case at Lahore's High Court, attempting to hold those who spread the deepfake to account. "When I go to the court, I have to remind people again and again that I have a fake video," she said. - 'A very harmful weapon' - In Pakistan -- a country of 240 million people -- internet use has risen at staggering rates recently owing to cheap 4G mobile internet. Around 110 million Pakistanis were online this January, 24 million more than at the beginning of 2023, according to monitoring site DataReportal. In this year's election, deepfakes were at the centre of digital debate. Ex-prime minister Imran Khan was jailed but his team used an AI tool to generate speeches in his voice shared on social media, allowing him to campaign from behind bars. Men in politics are typically criticised over corruption, their ideology and status. But deepfakes have a dark side uniquely suited to tearing down women. "When they are accused, it almost always revolves around their sex lives, their personal lives, whether they're good mums, whether they're good wives," said US-based AI expert Henry Ajder. "For that deepfakes are a very harmful weapon," he told AFP. In patriarchal Pakistan the stakes are high. Women's status is typically tied to their "honour", generally defined as modesty and chastity. Hundreds are killed every year -- often by their own families -- for supposedly besmirching it. Bukhari describes the video targeting her as "pornographic". But in a country where premarital sex and cohabitation are punishable offences, deepfakes can undermine reputations by planting innuendo with the suggestion of a hug or improper social mingling with men. In October, AFP debunked a deepfake video of regional lawmaker Meena Majeed showing her hugging the male chief minister of Balochistan province. A social media caption said: "Shamelessness has no limits. This is an insult to Baloch culture." Bukhari says photos of her with her husband and son have also been manipulated to imply she appeared in public with boyfriends outside her marriage. And doctored videos regularly circulate of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif -- Bukhari's boss -- showing her dancing with opposition leaders. Once targeted by deepfakes like these, women's "image is seen as immoral, and the honour of the entire family is lost", said Sadaf Khan of Pakistani non-profit Media Matters for Democracy. "This can put them in danger," she told AFP. - Fighting the fakes - Deepfakes are now prevalent across the world, but Pakistan does have legislation to combat their deployment in disinformation campaigns. In 2016, a law was passed by Bukhari's party "to prevent online crimes" with "cyberstalking" provisions against sharing photos or videos without consent "in a manner that harms a person". Bukhari believes it needs to be strengthened and backed up by investigators. "The capacity building of our cybercrime unit is very, very important," she said. But digital rights activists have also criticised the government for wielding such broad legislation to quash dissent. Authorities have previously blocked YouTube and TikTok, and a ban on X -- formerly Twitter -- has been in place since after February elections when allegations of vote tampering spread on the site. Pakistan-based digital rights activist Nighat Dad said blocking the sites serves only as "a quick solution for the government". "It's violating other fundamental rights, which are connected to your freedom of expression, and access to information," she told AFP. 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With the girls basketball season set to start next week, here is a look at the state’s divisional alignments in each of the 15 conferences for the 2024-25 season. Burlington County Scholastic League Freedom Division Bordentown Burlington City Burlington Township Maple Shade Moorestown Friends Palmyra Pennsauken Tech Independence Division Doane Academy Florence KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy Riverside STEMCivics Willingboro Liberty Division Cinnaminson Holy Cross Prep Thrive Charter Westampton Tech Patriot Division Delran Medford Tech Northern Burlington Pemberton Pennsauken Big North Conference American Division Cliffside Park Dumont Dwight-Morrow Fort Lee Ridgefield Park Freedom Division Hackensack Northern Highlands Paramus Ramapo Ridgewood Independence Division Fair Lawn Lakeland Passaic Valley Wayne Hills Wayne Valley West Milford Liberty Division Bergen Tech Clifton Passaic Passaic Tech Paterson Eastside Paterson Kennedy National Division Bergenfield Demarest Old Tappan Pascack Valley Teaneck Tenafly Patriot Division Indian Hills Mahwah Pascack Hills Ramsey River Dell Westwood United Division DePaul Holy Angels Immaculate Heart Paramus Catholic Cape-Atlantic League American Division Absegami Atlantic City Holy Spirit Mainland Middle Township Our Lady of Mercy Wildwood Catholic National Division Cedar Creek Egg Harbor Hammonton Lower Cape May Millville Ocean City Vineland United Division Atlantic Tech Bridgeton Buena Cape May Tech Oakcrest Pleasantville St. Joseph (Hamm.) Colonial Conference Liberty Division Haddon Heights Haddon Township Haddonfield Sterling West Deptford Woodbury Patriot Division Audubon Collingswood Gateway Gloucester Lindenwold Paulsboro Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division Ewing Hightstown Hopewell Valley Notre Dame Nottingham Princeton Robbinsville Trenton Valley Division Allentown Hamilton West Lawrence Princeton Day Steinert West Windsor-Plainsboro North West Windsor-Plainsboro South Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division Carteret Dunellen Highland Park Iselin Kennedy Metuchen Sayreville South River Timothy Christian Gold Division Calvary Christian (Old Bridge) East Brunswick Magnet Mother Seton New Brunswick Perth Amboy Magnet Piscataway Magnet Somerset Tech South Amboy Wardlaw-Hartridge Woodbridge Magnet Red Division Colonia East Brunswick Monroe North Plainfield Old Bridge Piscataway South Brunswick St. Thomas Aquinas White Division Edison J.P. Stevens Middlesex North Brunswick Perth Amboy South Plainfield Spotswood Woodbridge Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League American Division Bayonne Hudson Catholic Kearny St. Dominic Union City National Divison Hoboken Lincoln Memorial North Bergen Snyder Patriot Division BelovED Charter Dickinson Ferris McNair University Charter Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference American Division Chatham Mendham Montville Morristown Pope John Randolph Colonial Division Dover Hopatcong Kittatinny Newton Sussex Tech Wallkill Valley Freedom Division Hackettstown High Point Jefferson Lenape Valley North Warren Vernon Independence Division Boonton Kinnelon Parsippany St. Elizabeth Villa Walsh Whippany Park Liberty Division Hanover Park Madison Morris Catholic Morris Tech Morristown-Beard Mountain Lakes Pequannock National Division Morris Hills Morris Knolls Mount Olive Parsippany Hills Roxbury Sparta West Morris North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Independent Saddle River Day American Division Elmwood Park Garfield Lodi Manchester Regional Paterson Charter Saddle Brook Colonial Division Butler Eastern Christian Glen Rock Hawthorne Hawthorne Christian Pompton Lakes Liberty Division Bogota Dwight-Englewood Leonia New Milford Palisades Park Ridgefield Meadowlands Division Becton Hasbrouck Heights St. Mary (Ruth.) Wallington Wood-Ridge National Division Harrison Lyndhurst North Arlington Rutherford Secaucus Weehawken Patriot Division Cresskill Emerson Boro Midland Park Park Ridge Waldwick Olympic Conference American Division Cherokee Cherry Hill East Eastern Lenape Rancocas Valley National Division Bishop Eustace Camden Camden Catholic Camden Eastside Paul VI Patriot Division Cherry Hill West Moorestown Seneca Shawnee Winslow Super Essex Conference American Division Glen Ridge Montclair Immaculate Mount St. Dominic Newark Academy University West Orange Colonial Division Bloomfield Cedar Grove East Orange Montclair North Star Academy Verona Freedom Division Arts Barringer Belleville Irvington Newark Collegiate Science Park St. Benedict’s Weequahic Independence Division Livingston Millburn Montclair Kimberley Newark East Side Newark Lab Newark Tech Liberty Division Caldwell Columbia Newark Central Nutley Payne Tech West Essex National Division Bard Golda Och Orange Shabazz St. Vincent Technology West Caldwell Tech West Side Shore Conference A Central Division Howell Jackson Memorial Manasquan Neptune St. Rose Wall A Coastal Division Holmdel Middletown North Red Bank Catholic Red Bank Regional Rumson-Fair Haven St. John Vianney A North Division Colts Neck Marlboro Ocean Township Ranney Shore Trinity Hall A South Division Central Regional Donovan Catholic Manchester Township Southern Toms River East Toms River North B Central Division Brick Memorial Jackson Liberty Lakewood New Egypt Point Pleasant Beach Point Pleasant Boro B Coastal Division Henry Hudson Keansburg Keyport Matawan Middletown North Raritan B North Division Asbury Park Freehold Borough Freehold Township Long Branch Manalapan Monmouth B South Division Barnegat Brick Township Lacey Pinelands Toms River South Skyland Conference Delaware Division Franklin Gill St. Bernard’s Hillsborough Hunterdon Central Phillipsburg Rutgers Prep Mountain Division Belvidere Bernards Bound Brook Manville South Hunterdon Raritan Division Mount St. Mary Pingry Ridge Voorhees Warren Hills Watchung Hills Valley Division Bridgewater-Raritan Delaware Valley Immaculata Montgomery North Hunterdon Somerville Tri-County Conference Classic Division Clayton Gloucester Catholic Pitman Salem Salem Tech Wildwood Diamond Division Glassboro Overbrook Penns Grove Schalick Woodstown Liberty Division Cumberland Delsea Deptford Highland Timber Creek Triton Royal Division Clearview Gloucester Tech Kingsway Washington Township Williamstown Union County Conference Mountain Division Dayton Gov. Livingston Johnson Oak Knoll Roselle Summit Union Catholic Valley Division Brearley Hillside Kent Place Linden Rahway Roselle Park Union Watchung Division Cranford Elizabeth New Providence Plainfield Roselle Catholic Scotch Plains-Fanwood Westfield RECOMMENDED • nj .com Final Group 2 boys soccer season stat leaders for 2024 Dec. 3, 2024, 1:19 p.m. Final Group 3 boys soccer season stat leaders for 2024 Dec. 3, 2024, 1:20 p.m. Lauren Knego may be reached at lknego@njadvancemedia.com . Follow her at @laurenknego The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appears in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter )

Kundi sees governance failure in KP Governor alleges that 1,500 FRP personnel were taken to Islamabad by PTI government for protest PESHAWAR: Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday criticised the provincial government over “failed governance” and disrupting national progress through continuous protests. “There are two governments functioning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One is led by the chief minister and the other by a “defecto chief minister,” he said while talking to reporters at the Peshawar Press Club. Alluding to Bushra Bibi, the wife of Imran Khan, he said the two were at odds over whether protesters should march toward Sangjani or D-Chowk in Islamabad. The governor raised questions about the burning of a container belonging to the chief minister in Islamabad during the PTI protest, suggesting that it could either be an act of negligence or intentional sabotage by those trying to remove a “defective chief minister.” Kundi lamented that these differences were not about developmental issues but rather political maneuvering. He emphasized that the KP needed peace and development, especially in Kurram and Bajaur, and called for a unified focus on restoring peace. The governor accused the PTI of misusing government resources, claiming that salaries of Tehsil Municipal Administration employees, health officials, and teachers were diverted to fund protests. He alleged that 1,500 Frontier Reserve Police (FRP) personnel were taken to Islamabad by the PTI government for the protest. He dismissed claims of a clash between the Centre and KP, stating that the chief minister often complied with federal government decisions during meetings but failed to take practical steps in the province. Commenting on the possibility of the governor’s rule in KP, Kundi said the Constitution provided for such measures if deemed necessary by the federal government.