Pakistan Defence Minister's Bizarre 'Proof' Of Indian Jets Being Shot Down Goes Viral: WATCH

Pakistan's defence minister claims Indian jets were downed during Operation Sindoor, citing social media as proof. India denies it, calling images shared online misleading and outdated.

Pakistan Defence Minister Asif Khawaja.

Source : Social Media

In a bizarre twist amid the escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has made a hilarious claim on the reports of Pakistani forces shooting down five Indian jets, including a Rafale fighter aircraft. He said the Pakistan government's belief is based entirely on social media chatter. Notably, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also made the same claim in a publicly aired statement.

Sharif was filmed on multiple occasions, claiming: "Our jets shot down five Indian fighter planes." 

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: 🇵🇰 Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif warns India of consequences, calling their recent Operation Sindoor strikes a "grave mistake." Tensions soar between the nuclear-armed neighbors following the Pahalgam attack retaliation. 🇮🇳 #IndiaPakistan #OperationSindoor… pic.twitter.com/G05gZXoZY2

— Breaking 🚨 (Earth) (@Breaking_Earth) May 8, 2025

However, Pakistan has failed to provide any evidence of these claims. And now, Asif Khawaja's claim of "social media proof" has shown the world how Pakistan is desperately trying to peddle lies.

During an interview with CNN, Asif doubled down on the assertion despite being pressed for concrete evidence. "It is all on social media; and Indian social media, not ours," he insisted. "The debris of the jets fell on their side. It is all over the Indian media." His remarks, which many are calling baffling.

CNN: Where is the evidence of five Indian fighter jets shot down by Pakistan?

Pak Defence Minister Khawaja Asif: It's all over social media. 🤣#IndiaPakistanWar #OperationSindhoor pic.twitter.com/hieF8l8zUh

— Quantum 𝕏 (@Quantm_X) May 7, 2025

The dramatic claims follow a major escalation in tensions on Wednesday, when India launched targeted airstrikes on terrorist training camps and launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These precision strikes, carried out in response to the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, reportedly resulted in significant militant casualties.

Soon after the Indian military executed Operation Sindoor, Pakistan acknowledged the strikes and their aftermath. However, it is now facing backlash for circulating misleading visuals. India's Press Information Bureau's fact-checking division quickly debunked viral images used by pro-Pakistan social media accounts to support the downed-jet narrative.

One particular image being widely shared, a mangled wreckage of a fighter jet, was identified as an old photo from 2021, involving an IAF MiG-21 crash in Punjab's Moga district. "#PIBFactCheck: This image is from an earlier incident and is unrelated to the current situation," the agency clarified via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle.

⚠️Propaganda Alert!

Beware of old images shared by pro-Pakistan handles in the present context!

An #old image showing a crashed aircraft is being circulated with the claim that Pakistan recently shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur during the ongoing #OperationSindoor… pic.twitter.com/LdkJ1JYuH0

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025

Despite the fog of misinformation, Asif continued to stress the gravity of the situation. Speaking to CNN, he warned that the recent Indian strikes were a "clear-cut violation" and could potentially spiral into a larger regional conflict. "There is a possibility of expansion of this conflict into a full-fledged war, which we are trying to avoid," he said.

Yet, in what seemed like a contrasting stance, the minister also expressed openness to de-escalation. Speaking to Bloomberg earlier in the day, Asif said Pakistan is willing to "wrap up" tensions, but on one condition: "We've consistently said we'll never initiate hostility," he explained. "But if we're attacked, we'll respond. If India backs down, we shall definitely end this tension."

Pakistan's top security council echoed this sentiment while reserving the right to retaliate. A statement released Wednesday affirmed that the country's armed forces have been granted full authority to respond "at a time, place, and manner of its choosing".

On the Indian side, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the strikes as a historic military achievement. Commending the armed forces, he stressed that India acted with "precision, precaution, and compassion" in targeting the terror infrastructure.