Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif once again embarrassed himself and his nation on live television after he was caught spreading misinformation regarding India following successful strikes on nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) under 'Operation Sindoor'.
During an interview with CNN after the strike, Asif tried to spread fake news about Pakistan shooting down Indian fighter jets during the strike. When asked for proof, he fumbled.
"It's all over social media, on Indian social media, not just our social media. The debris of these jets fell into Kashmir," he claimed. Click here for Operation Sindoor Live Updates
The CNN anchor Becky Anderson quickly interjected, saying, "I'm sorry, we didn't ask you here to talk about social media content. I'm asking specifically for the evidence, details. For example, was any Chinese equipment used to down these Rafale jets, as I understand you are alleging to be?"
Unable to even name the aircraft Pakistan allegedly used, Asif tried to dodge the question, saying, "There is a possibility of expansion of this conflict into a full-fledged war."
He did admit that Pakistan has "Chinese planes, but they are being manufactured and assembled in Islamabad now", saying, "If India can buy planes from France and use them, we can also buy planes from China or Russia or the US, or the UK."
Not Khwaja Asif's First Embarrassing Interview
This is the second time in recent weeks when Asif has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In an April interview with Sky News, the Pakistani Minister admitted that Islamabad had backed terror groups in the past.
"We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about 3 decades... That was a mistake, and we suffered for that," he said, confirming long-standing accusations that Pakistan has harboured terrorists.
PIB Fact Checks Downed-Jet Narrative
Soon after India's Operation Sindoor, pro-Pakistan social media accounts started circulating misleading visuals about downing Indian jets. India's Press Information Bureau's fact-checking division quickly debunked viral images. On its X handle, PIB identified one particular image, which was being widely circulated 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," it wrote on its X handle.
