Pakistan foreign minister's fake claims on PAF busted by own media

Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. (AP photo)

In a fresh embarrassment for Pakistan, deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar was corrected by his own country’s media after he cited a piece of fake news during his address to the Senate on Thursday.

Dar, while lauding the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), referenced what he claimed was a report by the UK-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph, saying, “Telegraph writes Pakistan Air Force is the undisputed king of the skies.”

However, just hours later, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn published a fact-check saying that the claim was based on a fabricated image circulating on social media since May 10, when tensions between India and Pakistan were at the peak.

The fake front page, supposedly from The Daily Telegraph, declared PAF as the “King of the Skies” but was found to contain several discrepancies, including spelling errors, awkward language and layout inconsistencies. It was among the many other fake reports circulating on social media to peddle pro-Pakistani propaganda.

The paper's iVerify Pakistan team investigated the viral image and confirmed that no such report had been published by the British newspaper. “The content was investigated... which found discrepancies in the viral photo and concluded that the information was false,” Dawn reported.

The claim was further debunked by several Pakistani journalists and fact-checkers. “How fake news overshadows the truth: Earlier today, Deputy PM & Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar cited this false news, during his speech on the floor of the Senate, to support claims of PAF’s dominance over India," a journalist posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Meanwhile, the Press Information Bureau also weighed in. In a post on X, its fact-check team wrote: “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.”

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also reacted to the development by posting Dar’s video. He said: “Pakistan’s propaganda is quickly falling apart, exposing a web of lies and desperation. In a blatant attempt to save face, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar misled the country’s Senate by claiming that The Telegraph had declared the Pakistan Air Force as the ‘Undisputed King of the Skies.’ The claim was so outrageous that even Dawn, Pakistan’s own leading newspaper, felt compelled to fact-check and debunk it.”