Pakistan Air Force (PAF) released a slickly animated propaganda video on Air Force Day, laying out a laundry list of claims about its performance during Operation Sindoor earlier this year. Instead of landing as a show of strength, the video has become the internet’s punching bag, with Indian social media users tearing into its obviously AI-generated visuals and cinema-trailer bravado.
The Claims
The video asserts that Pakistan struck 32 Indian Air Force bases, took out two Indian S-400 air defence systems, and shot down or destroyed several fighter jets, including four Rafales, a Su-30MKI, a MiG-29, a Mirage, and a Heron UAV. It goes further, claiming Pakistan disrupted India’s national power grid, fractured its fuel supply chain, leaked sensitive Indian Army documents, and jammed Indian military satellites — an ambitious wish list for a single conflict.
Where It Falls Apart
None of this comes with satellite imagery, photographs, or any independently verifiable evidence — just animation. The supposed strike on an S-400 system, arguably the video’s marquee claim, is rendered entirely in cartoon-style graphics rather than anything resembling real footage. Social media users were quick to pounce, joking that the visuals looked like they’d been knocked out on “the free version of Gemini,” while Hindi commentary mocked the whole affair as “Lahori churan” — a jab referencing a cheap, flashy Lahori candy that’s all sizzle and no substance. Some pointed out the video even features a cut-rate soundtrack that undercuts its own attempt at gravitas.
Not the First Time
This is part of a well-worn playbook. Indian fact-checkers, including the Press Information Bureau, have repeatedly caught Pakistan-linked accounts pushing AI-generated fakes since the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor last year — including a viral clip claiming Pakistani JF-17s had destroyed India’s Udhampur Air Force Station, which the PIB confirmed was both entirely operational and never touched, and a deepfake putting fabricated remarks in the mouth of Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh. A Maharashtra police official has gone on record saying Pakistani accounts have even recycled video-game footage to pass off as real combat visuals during the conflict.
The latest release simply adds one more entry to that list — a slickly produced reel of claims that collapsed under the mildest scrutiny, leaving Pakistan’s PR win looking more like a punchline.