Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, is facing criticism after citing a fake news report during a Senate address. The incident has been seized upon by India's BJP, with Amit Malviya, head of the BJP IT cell, calling it a "blatant attempt to save face" and highlighting how Pakistan's propaganda is "quickly falling apart, exposing a web of lies and desperation".
During his address, Dar claimed that the UK-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph had declared the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as the "undisputed king of the skies". This statement, which quickly went viral on social media, was soon debunked as fake news. Pakistan's own newspaper, The Dawn, through its iVerify Pakistan team, investigated the claim and found it to be false, confirming that The Daily Telegraph had never published such an article. The original front page of The Daily Telegraph from May 10 featured a story about the Navy chief.
The fake image, which appears to be AI-generated, had been circulating on social media platforms. It depicted a front page of The Daily Telegraph with the headline "Pakistan Air Force: The undisputed king of the skies" and a photo of a JF-17 Thunder of the Pakistan Air Force.
The incident occurred amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. India had recently responded to the Pahalgam attack with "Operation Sindoor" on May 7, targeting alleged terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
This isn't the first time Pakistani officials have been called out for relying on unverified social media posts. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was previously criticized for claiming that at least five Indian jets were shot down, based on unverified information.
The Indian Army has stated it will push "confidence building measures" along the border with Pakistan to reduce alertness levels. This followed an understanding between the two countries' Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) on May 10 to continue these measures. Furthermore, a ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan has been extended until May 18.
