Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Embarrassed After Believing a Fake News Story Was Real

During a recent session of the Pakistan Senate, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar claimed that the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph had praised the performance of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). He stated that the newspaper had carried a front-page headline calling the PAF the "Undisputed King of the Skies." Ishaq Dar made this assertion in an apparent attempt to contrast the global praise India was receiving for its “Operation Sindoor” with a supposedly favorable international perspective on Pakistan's air capabilities.

However, these remarks quickly came under scrutiny. Pakistan’s prominent media outlet Dawn News launched a fact-checking investigation into Ishaq Dar’s statement. According to Dawn, there was no such headline or report in the May 10 edition of The Daily Telegraph, as claimed by Dar. Their review confirmed that the newspaper had never published any story of this nature related to the Pakistan Air Force.

In a further blow to the credibility of Ishaq Dar’s claim, The Daily Telegraph itself issued a statement categorically denying that it had ever published a story with the headline “Undisputed King of the Skies” in reference to the Pakistan Air Force. The publication clarified that it had not carried any such article.

Analysts suggested that the origin of the false story could be traced to social media, where Pakistani individuals may have used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to fabricate the headline and article. These fake materials were then widely circulated online. Believing the fabricated content to be genuine, Ishaq Dar cited it in Parliament, leading to widespread embarrassment.

The incident has sparked criticism both domestically and internationally. On social media platforms, users have mocked Ishaq Dar for quoting fake news in such an official setting. Many questioned how a high-ranking government official could fail to verify information before presenting it in Parliament, especially in a position as sensitive as Deputy Prime Minister.