Pakistan shot down Indian fighter jet? PIB factcheck debunks ISI's misinformation campaign

In the hours following India's missile strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor, several false claims surfaced on Pakistani media and social media platforms. These claims, many pushed by accounts linked to Pakistan's military media wing, have been flagged as misinformation by independent fact-checkers and analysts.

Unverified Claims Circulate Widely

Soon after the operation concluded, posts began appearing on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that Pakistan had responded by striking 15 locations inside India. Other posts falsely claimed that the Pakistan Air Force had hit the Srinagar Airbase, destroyed an Indian Army Brigade Headquarters and fighter jets.

Many of these posts were amplified by accounts with large followings that have previously aligned with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). However, analysts have confirmed that no credible satellite images or videos have emerged to support these claims.

Official Clarifications and Fact-Checks

A key video, circulated by several pro-Pakistan handles, was used to suggest that the Pakistan Air Force had attacked the Srinagar Airbase. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India dismissed this claim.

"In a video shared by several pro-Pakistan handles, it is being falsely claimed that the Pakistan Airforce has targeted Srinagar airbase. The video shared is old and NOT from India. The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Rely only on official Government of India sources for authentic Information," the Press Information Bureau fact check said in a post.

Several other videos and images used to support the Pakistani claims were later identified as unrelated, old footage, or digitally altered. Despite this, some Pakistani mainstream media channels broadcasted these claims without verification.

Operation Sindoor: A Targeted Strike

India launched Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, following a terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. The operation involved targeted missile strikes on terror camps run by groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The Ministry of Defence described the action as a “focused, measured and non-escalatory” response, stating that the strikes did not target Pakistani military or civilian sites. The objective, according to Indian officials, was to act against those responsible for the Pahalgam attack.