Pakistan’s military on 11 May 2025 firmly rejected widely circulated claims—originating from an Al Jazeera report and amplified by social media—that an Indian female Air Force pilot had been captured during recent cross-border hostilities.
In a rare joint press conference held in the late hours of the day, senior officials from Pakistan’s army, navy, and air force addressed the media on the ongoing Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, Islamabad’s response to Indian airstrikes earlier in the week.
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the official spokesperson of the Pakistan Army, categorically denied the existence of any captured Indian personnel. “I can confirm to you that we don’t have any pilot in custody. This is all social media chatter—part of multiple sources of fake news and propaganda,” he said, responding to a reporter’s question on the matter.
India Pakistan conflict
We have no Indian Pilots in our custody, says Pakistan Army spox
PS: Al Jazeera got fact checked by Indian, Pakistani military spox today. Got to give them, that is a rare honor in times of conflict.
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 11, 2025
Earlier, an Al Jazeera report citing unnamed Pakistani military sources had claimed that two Indian fighter jets—specifically Rafale aircraft—had been downed and that a female Indian pilot had been captured. The report even named Squadron Leader Shivani Singh, a claim that was later picked up and circulated widely by pro-Pakistan social media handles.
World is humiliating Pakistan and Pakistan is humiliating their bit*h @AJEnglish
Hope this fake news peddler & terrorism sympathiser media house is banned in India soon. @GoI_MeitY pic.twitter.com/jdCCb3VvLI
— BALA (@erbmjha) May 11, 2025
However, both the Indian and Pakistani governments have since discredited the claim. India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a fact-check on Saturday, calling the allegations “completely false.” “Indian female Air Force pilot has NOT been captured,” the PIB Fact Check unit posted on social media, attributing the disinformation to pro-Pakistan sources.
Indian Female Air Force pilot has NOT been captured🚨
Pro-Pakistan social media handles claim that an Indian Female Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivani Singh, has been captured in Pakistan.#PIBFactCheck
❌ This claim is FAKE!#IndiaFightsPropaganda@MIB_India… pic.twitter.com/V8zovpSRYk
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 10, 2025
The Pakistani military’s on-record denial now marks the first official disavowal from Islamabad itself, essentially undermining the credibility of Al Jazeera’s original report and similar claims propagated online.
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