The government has again raised eyebrows against what it calls "misinformation" allegedly spread by Pakistan—this time over a digitally altered photo falsely credited to a UK-based newspaper.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has reported that the photo, which gained huge traction on social media, was produced through artificial intelligence and was never published by The Daily Telegraph.
The doctored image, dated May 10, had the headline in bold: "Pakistan Air Force: The Undisputed King of the Skies." But the PIB Fact Check department ensured that the front page was fake and did not come from The Daily Telegraph.
What made the incident worse was that Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, used the forged image during a speech in the Senate on May 15. The PIB condemned this act, observing that such a citation by an official figure bestowed "intentional official weight on a piece of digital deception."
This is not the first such case. Pakistan-affiliated social media handles have been flagged before by Indian authorities for propagating false information. Just a few days ago, PIB had busted another viral claim related to the Indian Air Force (IAF). Viral posts claimed that a Rafale pilot had been killed in 'Operation Sindoor,' and photos depicted what seemed to be funeral ceremonies. But the Fact Check department made it clear that the concerned photograph was taken in 2008 and had nothing to do with the current events.
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