Islamabad: In an embarrassing misstep, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar lauded the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) by referencing a fabricated article falsely attributed to the UK-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
The fake front page, which circulated widely on social media, proclaimed the PAF as the "undisputed king of the skies" amid recent tensions with India. The claim has now been thoroughly debunked by Pakistani media outlets, notably The Dawn.
Fake Page Circulated to Bolster Military Narrative
Addressing the Senate on Thursday, May 15, Dar quoted the viral image during his speech, using it to assert aerial superiority over India. However, fact-checking efforts by Dawn’s iVerify Pakistan team uncovered that the page was a forgery, riddled with telltale signs of digital fabrication. The fake article, allegedly published by The Daily Telegraph, featured multiple spelling mistakes such as “preformance” instead of “performance” and misused terms like “Aur Force” rather than “Air Force.”
These inconsistencies, along with formatting errors and syntax glitches, were clear indicators that the image did not meet the editorial standards of a reputed international publication. Further verification by Dawn confirmed that The Daily Telegraph had published no such story.
Journalists and Analysts Highlight Disinformation Campaign
Several journalists and media analysts in Pakistan raised concerns over the spread of the misleading image. Imran Mukhtar of The Nation criticised the use of misinformation during parliamentary proceedings, tweeting, “Deputy PM & Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar cited this false news... No doubt, the PAF did dominate but the image in question is fake.”
Another social media user, Abdul Wasey Naik, identified the image as AI-generated and noted how even seasoned journalists had been misled. The incident comes amid heightened information warfare following India’s Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan.
According to ANI, Pakistani state-linked accounts have also been accused of amplifying doctored visuals and recycled footage to distort narratives, pointing to a coordinated disinformation effort designed to confuse the public and counter India’s narrative.
