In a thorough analysis, India's Open-Source Intelligence (OSNIT) community has torn apart Pakistan's latest effort to peddle a false narrative.
Pakistani civilians had shared a number of videos claiming Indian combat aircraft had crashed in their area as part of Operation Sindoor — but here are the findings: these were actually indications of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) losses.
During the last quarter, OSNIT analysts reviewed footage captured in Dina, Gujrat, Sialkot, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) areas. The indications they present are that the debris visible on these videos indicates PAF aircraft shot down during recent combat, not Indian planes.
The videos, circulating widely on platforms such as X, show local inhabitants in Pakistan filming wreckage and speculating over crashed planes, with some reporting seeing pilots dropping down by parachute.". These allegations are reminiscent of the tumultuous aftermath of the February 27, 2019 air battle when Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) first claimed to have captured three Indian pilots, only to subsequently withdraw the allegation to one — Wing Commander Varthaman — after shooting down his MiG-21," an Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW) report pointed out.
OSNIT community pointed out that this is in conformity with the misinformation trend in 2019, where Pakistani sources were trying to present Indian Air Force (IAF) losses while downplaying their own losses. Operation Sindoor, which was initiated in May 2025 as a response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, witnessed the IAF carry out precision attacks on nine terrorist establishments in Pakistan and PoK. These attacks also inflicted damage on critical PAF assets such as airbases, command centers, and radar installations.
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh confirmed that the IAF destroyed at least five PAF fighter planes and one big plane — thought to be an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform — while conducting the operation with advanced tools like the S-400 air defence system.
The OSNIT analysis also highlighted the psychological and propaganda aspects of the conflict. It observed that, similar to 2019, Pakistani officials seemed to solicit locals to produce video material in favor of their narrative. Ironically, according to analysts, the newest videos "accidentally reveal PAF's failures" because residents mistakenly identify their own crashed planes as Indian aircraft.
The 2019 precedent haunts these conversations. In the aftermath of Balakot, ISPR's original assertion of capturing three pilots was exposed when only one, Wing Commander Varthaman, was verified, and Pakistan did not report its own loss, that of an F-16 brought down by the IAF," the report remembered.
As per the report, IAF's technological superiority in Operation Sindoor — from the S-400 to homegrown anti-drone systems — has pushed Pakistan to continue a false narrative.
The OSNIT network effectively fought this disinformation by geolocating scenes with open-source tooling, analyzing patterns of wreckage, and comparing them against official IAF releases. Social media users also highlighted the significant inconsistencies, such as the lack of IAF-specific components such as Russian AL-31F engines among the wreckage, further discrediting Pakistan's claims.
Read also| US Marks Pakistan’s Independence Day, Praises Counterterrorism Cooperation
Read also| Watch| ‘BrahMos Hai Hamare Paas’: Asaduddin Owaisi Responds to Pak PM’s Threat
