“The prime minister has directed that such content cannot be tolerated and we will arrest those who spread immoral content on social media,” he said, adding that social media will not be allowed to be used for mudslinging.

His announcement follows that of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which released a statement saying it had taken notice of “fake videos” spreading on social media.

“People are advised to stop sharing this video,” it added.

Rana Sana said that cases where such material is used for blackmailing would be dealt with an “iron first”.

He added that the FIA and other departments concerned have been instructed to take action against “such immoral and unethical videos”.

Deepfake videos

The interior minister’s statement comes days after former prime minister Imran Khan said that the Sharifs were going to launch a character assassination drive against him using deepfake technology.

“Now that Eid is over, you will see they are fully prepared for my character assassination. They have hired companies that are readying the material on this count,” he said during an interview earlier this week.

The former premier mentioned that they [Sharifs] always resort to personal attacks because they have been indulging in corruption for the last 35 years.

“When someone talks about their corruption, they attack their character,” he added.