In the wake of India's "Operation Sindoor," a precision strike targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7, 2025, Pakistani media outlets and social media accounts have launched a disinformation campaign, falsely claiming that Indian fighter jets were shot down. These claims are being amplified by accounts linked to Pakistan's military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The core of the fake news narrative revolves around the assertion that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) retaliated against "Operation Sindoor" by striking targets inside India, including the Srinagar Airbase and an Indian Army Brigade Headquarters. A recurring element in this disinformation campaign is the circulation of old or doctored videos and images, falsely presented as evidence of downed Indian aircraft.
One specific video being shared across social media platforms purportedly depicts an Indian Rafale jet being shot down near the Poonch sector. However, fact-checking investigations have revealed that this video is actually from a 2024 incident involving an Indian MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed during a training mission in Rajasthan due to a technical issue. Visual evidence confirms that the footage is unrelated to any current military engagement between India and Pakistan.
Another widely circulated image, purporting to show a destroyed Indian jet, has also been debunked as unrelated and outdated. This image is, in fact, of a MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in Rajasthan's Barmer district in September 2024.
The Indian Army has posted on social media, stating that justice had been served. Numerous social media handles began circulating visuals, falsely claiming that Pakistan had attacked several sites in India. These claims include allegations of strikes within India and attacks on the Srinagar Airbase, with some posts even asserting the destruction of an Indian Army Brigade Headquarters and fighter jets. However, analysts have found no credible satellite images or videos to support these claims. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also stepped in to debunk the fake news, clarifying that the video shared of an attack on Srinagar Airbase is old and not from India. The PIB further stated that the video is from sectarian clashes that took place in 2024 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and are not related to the current events.
These instances of misinformation are part of a broader psychological warfare strategy aimed at weakening India's morale through the spread of fake news. Social media users should be wary of Pakistani propaganda accounts pretending to be Indian Army personnel. It is crucial to rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information and avoid sharing unverified claims.
