The Indian government has exposed another case of misinformation originating from Pakistan, this time involving a digitally manipulated front page of a well-known British newspaper.
In a fact-check released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), authorities confirmed that an image circulating on social media — allegedly showing a 10 May front page of ‘The Daily Telegraph’ with the headline, ‘Pakistan Air Force: The Undisputed King of the Skies’ — is completely fabricated.
Taking to X, the PIB Fact Check team posted, “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.”
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
The controversy intensified when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar referenced the same fake image during a speech to the Senate on 15 May, lending it an air of official credibility.
“This #fake claim was further amplified by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his statement to the Senate on 15 May 2025. By endorsing a completely fabricated image and headline, #Pakistan intentionally lent official weight to a piece of digital deception,” PIB stated in a follow-up post.
This #fake claim was further amplified by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his statement to the Senate on 15 May 2025.
By endorsing a completely fabricated image and headline, #Pakistan intentionally lent official weight to a piece of digital deception.… pic.twitter.com/k2s8LT5YJh
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 16, 2025
Previous Misinformation On Rafale Pilot Debunked By PIB
Pakistan-based sources have previously shared misleading content linked to recent military developments.
PIB earlier countered another viral claim that alleged an Indian Air Force Rafale pilot had died during ‘Operation Sindoor’, with images of what claimed to be the pilot’s funeral.
PIB debunked the claim, stating that the image used was from 2008 and bore no relation to current events.
An old image is going viral on social media, with many Pakistan-based accounts claiming that it shows the last rites of a Rafale pilot of the #IndianAirForce who died on 7 May 2025.#PIBFactCheck
❌ This claim is completely fake.
✅ The image is actually from 2008 and… pic.twitter.com/bud4awxcRP
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 14, 2025
The incident underscores the rising trend of AI-generated misinformation used in geopolitical contexts.
While India has been actively flagging such content, the spread of digitally altered visuals by official figures adds another layer of concern to the information war played out online.
Also Read: PIB Busts Fake Social Media Claim On Rafale Pilot Casualty
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