In the wake of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, several social media accounts, purportedly linked to Pakistani sources, have disseminated false claims regarding military engagements. These claims include assertions that Pakistan shot down an Indian Rafale fighter jet along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector of Kashmir. The Press Information Bureau (PIB), the Indian government's nodal agency for disseminating information, has refuted these claims, labeling them as fake news and misinformation.

PIB Fact Check clarified that the Pakistan Army did not shoot down any Indian fighter jet. The video being circulated as evidence of the downing was, in reality, footage from a June 2024 crash of a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet in Maharashtra, India. The PIB advised users to exercise caution and verify information before sharing it on social media platforms. This incident is not isolated, as similar false claims have emerged in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, an Indian counter-terrorism operation.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India to target terrorist camps belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, following the Pahalgam attack. The operation aimed to eliminate terrorist leaders responsible for attacks against India. The Indian Ministry of Defence described the strikes as "focused, measured, and non-escalatory," emphasizing that they targeted only terror infrastructure and not Pakistani military installations.

Following Operation Sindoor, several pro-Pakistan social media accounts falsely claimed that Pakistan retaliated by striking locations inside India, including the Srinagar Airbase and an Indian Army Brigade Headquarters. These claims were amplified by accounts allegedly linked to Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). However, these claims have also been debunked by the PIB and independent fact-checkers. The PIB clarified that the video being circulated of an attack on Srinagar Airbase was old and unrelated to recent events, originating from sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in 2024. Similarly, claims of the destruction of an Indian Brigade Headquarters were also dismissed as fake. Images circulating online, purportedly showing the wreckage of a downed Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter jet, were also debunked as old and unrelated to Operation Sindoor. The PIB clarified that the images were from a 2021 incident in Punjab.

These instances of fake news and misinformation highlight the ongoing information war between India and Pakistan, particularly in the digital realm. Social media platforms have become a battleground for spreading propaganda and disinformation, exacerbating tensions between the two countries. Fact-checking organizations and government agencies like the PIB play a crucial role in countering these false narratives and ensuring that the public has access to accurate information. It is essential for social media users to exercise caution, verify information from trusted sources, and avoid sharing unverified claims that could further escalate tensions.