Rajeev Shukla hits out at Shoaib Malik over ‘doctored’ audio aired on Pakistan TV: Stop circulating misleading content

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Wednesday hit back at former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik for airing what he described as an “altered, AI-generated audio” during a talk show on a Pakistani news channel, warning against the circulation of misleading content.

The show, which focused largely on the upcoming India-Pakistan clash scheduled for February 15 in Colombo, featured Malik playing an audio clip that purportedly quoted Shukla. The clip suggested that the ICC had acted at the BCCI’s request to convince the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to withdraw its boycott threat.

“I would like to show you a clip of BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla,” Malik told the panel before playing the audio.

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The clip, played alongside an image of Shukla speaking to the media, said: “I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by the ICC representative on the repeated requests by BCCI to convince Pakistan to play against India. It’s a good, amicable solution which has been found to give priority to cricket.”

The video quickly went viral on social media, prompting an immediate response from Shukla.

“A video of my remarks on the India-Pakistan World Cup match has been manipulated using AI to alter the audio. These statements are not mine. I urge everyone not to believe or circulate this misleading content and to report it wherever such videos are seen,” he wrote on X.

What did Shukla originally say?

In his actual remarks to the media, Shukla welcomed the ICC’s intervention in resolving the standoff.

"It's a good solution, an amicable solution which has been found to give priority to cricket's importance in the game. This is what has been done. So all kudos to ICC for taking this initiative, resolving the whole issue and bringing cricket back to the forefront. This is a big achievement as far as ICC is concerned. So I would like to thank ICC for taking this initiative and bringing Pakistan to the table, ultimately deciding for Pakistan to play in the Colombo match," Shukla had told the media on Tuesday.

"It's good news for all of us and the scheduled match for 15th February in Colombo will take place. Pakistan will also play. So now this World Cup will also be a big success story. Bangladesh's feelings have also been answered as far as these negotiations are concerned, and some relief has been given to their board, and they are also happy. In fact, they have praised ICC for its efforts. It's a win-win situation for everybody and I'm happy that the match would take place and World Cup will be a successful event," he added.

Shukla's comment came after the Pakistan Government reversed the boycott threat and directed its national cricket team to take the field on February 15 for its scheduled fixture against defending champions India in the T20 World Cup.

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