Pak propaganda alert: Sukhoi shot down, pilot captured; PIB says 2014 image of crash

New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) The government on Friday trashed Pakistani social media handles claiming that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI was shot down in Muzaffarabad, and an Indian Pilot was captured.

The fact check by Press Information Bureau (PIB) said the image being circulated by Pakistani social media handles was fake and lifted from an 11-year-old news report.

The PIB Fact Check said the image was of the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi SU-30MKI that crashed at Undre Vasti of Kulwadi village near Pune-Ahamad Nagar highway, Maharashtra, on October 14, 2014.

Fact Check post on X said, “Fake News Alert Pakistani social media handles are claiming that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI was shot down in Muzaffarabad, capturing an Indian Pilot alive. #PIBFactCheck This Sukhoi SU-30MKI of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed at Undre Vasti of Kulwadi village near Pune-Ahamad Nagar highway, Maharashtra on October 14, 2014.”

The post has the original news report attached, which clearly shows the picture which is being wrongly used by Pakistani social media handles.

In another post, the PIB has fact-checked a video, terming it as Pakistan propaganda alert.

The video shared extensively by Pakistani social media handles claims a heavy Multiple Launch Rocket Systems barrage as a real Pakistani attack on India.

The fact-check has revealed that the clip is from a video game.

The PIB Post on X said, “Pakistan Propaganda Alert! A video showing a heavy MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems) barrage is being falsely shared as a real Pakistani attack on India. #PIBFactCheck The video is from a video game and has been online for over 3 years.”

The post said that it has no connection to the current India-Pakistan situation, and also included a link to the original clip.

The PIB fact check has urged people to stay alert and verify before sharing.

Earlier in the day, the PIB fact-checked a few other viral posts and found them to be fake and fraudulently used.

An image circulated on the social media platform X, claiming to show an explosion at the Jammu Air Force base, was debunked by the PIB.

The PIB Fact Check found the image is from the Kabul airport blast on August 21. In a post of X, PIB Fact Check said, "Explosion at Jammu Air Force Base? Here's the truth! An old image is being circulated with false claims of multiple explosions at the Jammu Air Force Base in India. #PIBFactCheck This image is from the Kabul Airport blast in August 2021."

The PIB also attached the report from where the image was taken.

PIB fact-checkers confirmed that several videos and images being circulated are not related to the ongoing military situation.

The PIB's fact-checking unit, early morning, debunked a widely circulating video on social media claiming to show Pakistani attacks on Hazira Port in Gujarat and a drone attack in Jalandhar.

The PIB said the Hazira Port video is an unrelated video "confirmed to depict an oil tanker explosion". The footage captures an oil tanker explosion that occurred on July 7, 2021, and Pakistan is falsely propagating it as its attack on the port.

Another video claimed to show the aftermath of a drone attack in Jalandhar. In a post on X, PIB Fact Check clarified that the video is unrelated and depicts a farm fire.

PIB's post stated, "Drone Attack in Jalandhar. This drone strike video from #Jalandhar is widely circulating on social media#PIBFactCheck This is an unrelated video of a farm fire. The video has the time 7:39 PM, while the drone attack began later."

After India launched its most expansive cross-border strikes on terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, a flood of misinformation and false propaganda is being peddled from across the border by its influencers, media, as well as government-sponsored social media handles.

Several such videos have already been exposed by the team of the PIB since India's military action against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir began on May 7.

--IANS

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