JD Vance AI memes flood Pakistan after his visit to Islamabad for Iran peace talks: This is how we do soft power

ISLAMABAD — Vice President JD Vance has a new base of fans — in Pakistan.Since swooping in to Islamabad to head peace talks with Tehran last weekend, Vance has been “spotted” at local restaurants, bazaars, mosques and tourist destinations across the capital city — with a little help from AI.“Trading the podium for a piyala,” joked tea shop Chai Theory, referring to a photo of the small, ceramic bowls used to drink tea across Central Asia — that included a generated image of the vice president, a constant theme of viral memes in the US, appearing at the local Pakistani business.In another post, Vance, who famously dressed as his meme-ified self for Halloween last year, is pictured digging into a huge slice of “legendary anda paratha” — a popular breakfast food — at Quetta Kakar Hotel.Some AI images flooding social media even project lasting peace following successful negotiations with Iran, including one showing Vance at a table flashing a two-fingered peace sign while being hugged by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.The smiling odd couple are seated across from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pours tea in the background.“Let me give you a bottom line to understand well the Pakistanis’ humor: ‘if humor could be monetized, we would be able to pay back all the IMF loans,” joked X user Jehanzeb Iqbal in a message to The Post, poking fun at the country’s national debt.The hysterical American-made meme of a chubby, wild-haired Vance even appears in a few — replacing the face of Pehlwan Rewri founder Haji Mohammad Nazeer that appears on traditional boxes of the classic treat made from sugar, sesame seeds and ghee.Others picture him in Pakistan’s traditional shalwar kameez — the national garment with a long, flowing shirt over loose-fitting trousers — or buzzing around Pakistani cities on electric scooters.Online posters say the memes are all in good fun — and offer a wa...