News Desk
Islamabad: Following decisive military action by Pakistani armed forces against the Afghan Taliban regime, misleading propaganda regarding the alleged downing of a Pakistani fighter jet began circulating in Indian and Afghan media outlets. However, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan has categorically rejected these claims as fabricated and baseless.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense alleged that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani fighter aircraft in Nangarhar and captured the pilot alive. The claim was widely amplified by sections of the Indian media and Afghan social media accounts, triggering speculation about escalating tensions in the region.
Pakistani officials and defense sources have firmly denied any loss of aircraft or capture of a pilot. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan, no confirmation of such an incident has been issued by Pakistani authorities, international media, or defense institutions.
Furthermore, Pakistani officials stated that the image circulated by Afghan sources was in fact from a 2021 Russian aircraft crash in Turkey and was falsely linked to the current situation to create a misleading narrative.
Defense analysts and international experts describe the campaign as part of an organized disinformation effort aimed at promoting anti-Pakistan narratives in the region. They note that fake news, unverified claims, and coordinated social media amplification are increasingly used as tools of hybrid warfare to influence public opinion and exert diplomatic pressure.
Experts also criticized the reported practice of posting anti-Pakistan claims from official accounts and later deleting them, calling it an irresponsible approach that undermines credibility. In the absence of verified ground realities and independent confirmation, such claims are being widely dismissed as deceptive.
