Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has found himself at the centre of international embarrassment after citing a fabricated British newspaper headline in the Pakistani Senate. On May 15-16, 2025, Dar quoted what he claimed was the front page of The Daily Telegraph declaring "Pakistan Air Force is the undisputed king of the skies" during parliamentary proceedings.

This incident has drawn significant attention as it represents a senior government official spreading artificial intelligence-generated misinformation during a period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following recent military exchanges.

The fabricated news was quickly debunked by fact-checkers, including Pakistan's own newspaper Dawn, revealing a concerning pattern of Pakistani officials relying on unverified social media content to make official statements during sensitive geopolitical situations.

The Fabricated Telegraph Front Page Incident


Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar addressed the Senate on Thursday, May 15, 2025, making bold claims about Pakistan's air superiority during recent military exchanges with India. During his speech, Dar confidently stated, "British newspaper Daily Telegraph front page has said that Pakistan Air Force is the undisputed king of the skies," which reportedly drew enthusiastic cheers from other Senate members present at the session.

The statement was made during a parliamentary session where the Senate had earlier offered prayers for Pakistani military personnel and civilians who had lost their lives in what they described as "recent Indian aggression".

Dar's remarks appeared intended to boost national morale and present Pakistan's military response in a positive light during this period of heightened cross-border tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

The image Dar referenced had been circulating widely on Pakistani social media in the days leading up to his Senate address. The fabricated content was designed to look like the front page of Britain's prestigious The Daily Telegraph newspaper, featuring the headline that glorified Pakistan's air force capabilities.

This purported international validation of Pakistan's military prowess was quickly amplified by government officials and social media accounts, gaining significant traction across Pakistani digital platforms before Dar elevated it to official government discourse by quoting it in the Senate.

The widespread circulation of this fake newspaper clipping demonstrates how rapidly misinformation can permeate from social media into official government communications during times of conflict.

Pakistani social media had been flooded with various propaganda materials in the aftermath of India's airstrikes, which India targeted terrorist infrastructure within Pakistan. The fabricated Telegraph front page was just one element of a broader information campaign that included numerous false claims about the military situation. This particular piece of misinformation was dated May 10, 2025, purportedly showing international recognition of Pakistan's aerial combat capabilities during the recent skirmishes.

The timing of this fake news coincided with defensive narratives within Pakistan following India's Operation Sindoor, making it particularly appealing to government officials looking to counter India's military narrative.

Fact-Checking And International Embarrassment

The fabricated Telegraph front page was quickly flagged by journalists and fact-checkers, who confirmed that no such headline or story had ever been published by the British newspaper. Pakistan's own respected newspaper Dawn conducted a fact-check investigation that conclusively demonstrated the content was fake, creating significant embarrassment for the Pakistani government when their foreign minister was essentially fact-checked by his own country's media. Fact-checkers pointed out several telltale signs of the image's inauthenticity, including inconsistencies in layout, typographical errors, and font discrepancies that would never appear in a professional publication like The Telegraph. These technical flaws provided clear evidence that the image was not produced by professional journalists but was instead created using artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to mimic established publications.

Despite being publicly exposed for sharing misinformation, neither Ishaq Dar nor Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has issued any clarification or retraction regarding the false claims made in the Senate. This silence in the face of clear evidence has only intensified international criticism of Pakistan's information handling practices during the conflict. The incident has reinforced perceptions among international observers that Pakistani officials are willing to propagate unverified information to support their narrative, even when such information can be easily disproven through basic fact-checking procedures. The lack of accountability demonstrated by this refusal to acknowledge the error has further damaged Pakistan's credibility in international diplomatic circles.

A point to note is that in response to India's airstrikes, Pakistan reportedly attempted retaliatory strikes using Fatah missiles, drones, and smaller missiles, though India claims to have successfully intercepted these attacks. The Indian Air Force conducted effective strikes on several targets within Pakistan while also defending Indian airspace from incoming attacks.

Pakistani officials and media have promoted various narratives about successful defences and counterattacks, including the fabricated Telegraph headline that became the centre of this controversy. The difficulty in verifying claims from either side during active conflict has created an environment where misinformation can flourish, particularly when amplified by official channels.

Pattern of Misinformation By Pakistani Officials

The Ishaq Dar incident appears to be part of a broader pattern of Pakistani officials relying on unverified social media content for official statements. In another recent example, Pakistan's Defence Minister also made dubious claims about shooting down Indian fighter jets during the recent conflict. When pressed by international media for evidence supporting these claims, the minister reportedly responded, "The proof is all over social media," a statement that drew widespread criticism from defence analysts and international observers. This casual approach to verification from a senior defence official responsible for military affairs further undermines Pakistan's credibility during the conflict.

Multiple incidents of fake news related to the conflict have been identified and debunked by fact-checkers. These include false claims about an attack on an Indian Army brigade in Rajouri, a fabricated confidential letter supposedly from the Indian Army Chief, false allegations that India attacked its own citizens at Amritsar, and a fake video purporting to show the destruction of an Indian military post by Pakistani forces. Many of these false claims used old images from unrelated incidents, computer game footage, or AI-generated content to fabricate "evidence" of military successes. The widespread nature of this misinformation campaign suggests coordinated efforts to shape public perception of the conflict through fabricated content.

Pakistani social media accounts have circulated numerous other pieces of fake news, including claims that Pakistani forces destroyed the Udhampur Air Base in India-a claim debunked by fact-checkers who determined the video used was actually showing a chemical factory fire in Hanumangarh, not an attack on a military installation. Other fabricated claims included assertions that Pakistan had targeted the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, which was contradicted by official Indian statements. The volume and variety of this misinformation suggest an environment where verification standards have been abandoned in favour of narrative-building, creating significant challenges for journalists, analysts, and citizens attempting to understand the true situation.

For Pakistani citizens, this incident represents a troubling example of government officials potentially misleading the public during a time of national security concern. When senior leaders like the Foreign Minister cite fabricated foreign validation rather than providing factual assessments of military situations, it undermines citizens' ability to understand the true circumstances their country faces. Similarly concerning is the fact that even after being debunked by their own national media, officials have not corrected the record or acknowledged the error. This lack of accountability damages democratic processes that depend on accurate information for public discourse about matters of war and peace.

Conclusion

The incident involving Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar citing a fake AI-generated newspaper headline in the Senate represents a concerning example of how misinformation can infiltrate the highest levels of government discourse. The fabricated Daily Telegraph front page claiming "Pakistan Air Force is the undisputed king of the skies" was easily debunked by fact-checkers, including Pakistan's own newspaper Dawn, yet received no retraction or correction from government officials. This episode has embarrassed Pakistan internationally and raised serious questions about information verification standards within its government, particularly during sensitive military situations.

 Based On ET News Report