Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has dismissed “absurd and false claims being made by India” about shooting down an F-16 and JF-17 of the Pakistan Air Force.

He said, “Fake and concocted stories will get you nowhere. Such false claims only reflect your desperation. Denied and rejected.”

Indian news outlet NDTV earlier reported that, as per sources, “an F-16 supersonic fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force was shot down in the evening by an Indian surface-to-air missile defence system”.

The development came amid a viral video of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry being shared by Indian propaganda accounts in which he could be heard saying that two JF-17 jets were shot down.

The same video was reported on by The Times of India, but it later removed the content from its article. However, the old text could be seen in the cache when the article was searched for on Google.

However, the DG ISPR has made no such press briefing in the days since the escalation with India.

State broadcaster PTV News also shared a screenshot of the viral video and said: “News circulating regarding senior Pakistani Army official citing downing of Pakistani jets are false and fake”.

It said the posts had used AI to spread disinformation.