“2nd authorized AI voice msg of Imran Khan based on his notes from Jail, played at the International Convention,” US-based PTI social media chief Jibran Ilyas said in a post on X.

The former ruling party had also used the AI during a virtual rally in December, according to international media. The four-minute video, which was heard by supporters of PTI, was made with a voice clone. The audio was shared on Facebook, X and YouTube, and was overlaid with historic footage of Khan and still images.

Sunday’s convention was moderated by journalist Moeed Pirzada with a panel of Salman Akram Raja, Khaled Beydoun, Ryan Grim, Sami Hamdi, Dr Mubeen Shah, Khaled Beydoun, and Turgay Evren.

Khan’s message was played at the end of the two-hour convention on YouTube. It was also shared by the party on X and Facebook.

The event was held a day after the party organised its second virtual rally on Saturday. It drew more than 300,000 views on YouTube and was attended live by hundreds on other social media platforms.

Global network monitor NetBlocks said social media was restricted for three hours.

But the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority claimed that the internet service was disrupted due to a technical fault.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi had also reposted the post. By 10pm, internet services were fully restored nationwide.