Pakistan Air Force Is 'Undisputed King'? India Fact-Checks Propaganda

New Delhi:

Propaganda – ostensibly from a reputed British publication, The Daily Telegraph – declaring the Pakistan Air Force ‘the undisputed king of the skies’ has been junked by the government.

In a fact-check post on X Friday morning the government called out the image circulating on social media and said the photograph had been altered or edited with AI (Artificial Intelligence).

The Daily Telegraph “has never carried any such article”, the government stressed.

A screenshot of the image – a front-page story from May 10, the date Pak reached out to India for a ceasefire – said “experts” described the PAF as “feared, respected, and remarkably efficient”.

An image circulating on social media claims to show the front page of UK-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph, featuring a headline that reads: “Pakistan Air Force: The undisputed king of the skies” dated 10th May 2025#PIBFactCheck

✔️This claim is #false

✔️The image being… pic.twitter.com/8hxskb5aM4

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 16, 2025

In fact, an Austrian combat aviation analyst told NDTV India’s retaliation to Pakistani aggression following Operation Sindoor was a “clear-cut victory”.

Tom Cooper told NDTV Pakistan had been compelled to initiate the ceasefire process because of India’s better firepower and its multi-layered air defence system.

Specifically about the Indian Air Force he said, “With at least two of PAF’s HQ-9s (Chinese-made air defence systems) knocked out two days earlier, and the PAF suppressed enough to stop shooting PL-15s into Indian airspace… in a matter of three hours IAF Su-30MKI-, Mirage 2000- and Rafale-crews found enough opportunities to deliver a few really heavy blows.”

READ | “No Surprise Islamabad Called For Ceasefire”: Expert On India-Pak

Amid diplomatic and military tension between New Delhi and Islamabad – triggered by the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last month – social media handles from Pak and elsewhere have been called out for spreading false narratives and fake news.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khwaja Asif, has also been called out; last week Mr Asif was fact-checked during an interview with American broadcaster CNN. He had declared the PAF had shot down one of India’s French-made Rafale fighter jets, a claim Delhi swiftly junked.

VIDEO | Pak’s Khawaja Asif Fact-Checked By CNN Anchor Over Op Sindoor Claim

CNN’s Becky Anderson, however, asked for evidence or details about the claims, but the Pak Defence Minister seemed unable to offer any and tried to sidestep further questions.

The government has junked Pak claims about shooting down a Rafale fighter jet (File).

The government, meanwhile, fact-checked social media posts about the loss of a Rafale, pointing out the image being used online was an old photo from 2021 involving a Mig-21.

The government also fact-checked claims about Pak air strikes on a military base in Punjab’s Amritsar, noting, in this instance, that visuals from a 2004 wildfire were being falsely shown.

There was an increase in the flood of disinformation and propaganda from the Pak side since the Indian military launched Operation Sindoor – precision strikes on terror camps in Pak and Pak-occupied Kashmir – and the government has taken note, sources told NDTV last week.

READ | After Op Sindoor, Pakistan’s Propaganda Machine In Full Swing

Sources said that by flooding social media with recycled images, unrelated videos, and fabricated claims, Pak was attempting to obscure the actual outcome of Op Sindoor and create the illusion of a strong counter-response, as also generate global sympathy.

READ | India’s Simple Answer To Pak Propaganda: Meticulous Evidence

Sources also said the government is documenting each instance to ensure Pak cannot hide behind a digital facade of lies, and had instructed each branch of the military to ensure its strikes and activities are documented, visually, so India can prove its side of the argument.