In a major embarrassment for Pakistan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has once again come under fire for promoting misinformation in the wake of Operation Sindoor—India’s precision military strikes that destroyed nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
Appearing in a CNN interview, Asif claimed that five Indian fighter jets had been shot down by Pakistani forces, citing social media as his only source of evidence. “It’s all over social media, on Indian social media, not ours,” he said. “The debris of these jets fell into Kashmir. It’s all over Indian media today, and they have admitted.”
The anchor promptly said, “I’m sorry, we didn’t ask you here to talk about social media content.”
When pressed further for specifics—such as the aircraft used to down the Indian jets or any verifiable proof—Asif failed to provide any concrete details. Asked whether Chinese equipment was used in the operation, he deflected, saying, “We have Chinese planes—JF-17 and JF-10—manufactured and assembled in Pakistan now. If India can buy planes from France and use them, we can also buy planes from China, Russia, the US, UK, and use them.”
This isn’t the first time Khawaja Asif has made explosive admissions. In a recent interview with Sky News’s Yalda Hakim, Asif openly acknowledged Pakistan’s decades-long involvement in supporting terrorist groups. “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades… and the West, including Britain,” he admitted. “That was a mistake, and we suffered for that.”
On Wednesday morning, India launched Operation Sindoor—a coordinated tri-services strike—targeting nine key terror facilities deep inside Pakistan and PoJK in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh confirmed that the strikes were carried out with precision to avoid civilian casualties.
In response to the operation, Pakistani officials began disseminating claims that they had downed five Indian fighter jets—a narrative quickly amplified on social media. However, these claims have since been thoroughly debunked.
India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check team exposed several instances of misinformation. One widely circulated image purportedly showing a downed Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur was confirmed to be from a 2021 MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, completely unrelated to current events.
Another viral video falsely claimed that Indian troops raised a white flag and surrendered at Chora post. Pakistan’s Minister Attaullah Tarar publicly endorsed this fabricated footage, lending official weight to an evidently false and unverified story, further fuelling the ongoing disinformation campaign.
(With ANI inputs)