Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar Criticised For Quoting AI-Generated Fake News In Parliament

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, is facing strong backlash after he cited a fabricated image of a UK newspaper during a speech in Parliament on Thursday.

The image falsely claimed that ‘The Daily Telegraph’ had praised the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as the ‘undisputed king of the skies’.

Dar, while addressing the House, referred to the fake headline and stated, “The Telegraph newspaper writes, ‘Pakistan Air Force is the undisputed king of the skies.’ Alhamdulillah,” receiving loud applause from fellow parliamentarians.

Social media users widely shared the image, which artificial intelligence had generated.

Several Pakistani journalists also circulated it, mistaking it as international recognition of Pakistan’s air defence capabilities.

Fact-checkers soon exposed the image as entirely fabricated and unrelated to ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

This incident comes amid a wave of misinformation that followed the recent escalation between India and Pakistan.

Since both sides launched military strikes, users have flooded social media with unverified images and claims, many of which fact-checkers have later debunked.

No Retraction Yet From Ishaq Dar

Despite public criticism, Ishaq Dar has yet to issue a clarification or retraction for referencing the fake image during an official parliamentary session.

The controversy also points to a broader trend in Islamabad’s handling of wartime communication. During the conflict, Pakistani officials have repeatedly used social media posts as evidence to support claims, most notably the claim of downing Indian fighter jets.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif previously drew flak for relying on social media to assert that at least five Indian jets were destroyed.

When pressed by a CNN anchor for proof, Asif responded, “The proof is all over social media.”

More recently, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed at the PAF airbase in Kamra that the Pakistani Air Force had shot down six Indian jets.

These allegedly included three Rafales, one SU-30MKI, one Mirage 2000, and one MiG-29.

However, these assertions continue to lack independent verification or publicly released evidence.

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