Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar Embarrassed After Citing Fake News in Senate Speech

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar faced public embarrassment after citing a fake news report in the Senate that falsely praised the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). During his address on May 15, Dar proudly quoted what he claimed was a headline from the UK-based Daily Telegraph, stating, “Pakistan Air Force: The undisputed king of the skies.”

However, the so-called news was quickly debunked by multiple fact-checking agencies, including India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Pakistan’s own media. PIB Fact Check confirmed that the viral image, which appeared to be a front page of The Daily Telegraph dated May 10, 2025, was AI-generated and entirely fabricated. “The Daily Telegraph has NEVER carried any such article,” the agency emphasized.

PIB even posted a clip of Dar making the statement, captioning it, “This #fake claim was further amplified by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister... endorsing a completely fabricated image and headline.”

Interestingly, Pakistan’s leading newspaper The Dawn also fact-checked the claim shortly after Dar’s speech. Its iVerify Pakistan team flagged several inconsistencies in the image, including spelling errors, irregular sentence structure, and other markers of digital manipulation.

Veteran Pakistani journalist Imran Mukhtar joined the chorus of criticism, posting on X that while the PAF may have performed admirably, the image Dar cited was undeniably fake. “How fake news overshadows the truth,” he wrote, underscoring the dangers of misinformation even at the highest levels of government.

This incident has once again highlighted the risks of relying on unverified social media content in official statements, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like national defense and international relations.