Stresses need to rely solely on authentic information, refrain from spreading fallacious information
People work near the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) headquarters building in Islamabad on August 16, 2024. Photo: AFP
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) urged citizens on Saturday to exercise responsibility while using social media and digital platforms in view of the prevailing sensitive national situation.
The PTA’s instruction came amid “false” reports circulated by Afghan Taliban officials and amplified by Indian media, claiming that Afghan forces had shot down a Pakistani fighter jet in Nangarhar and captured its pilot.
Pakistani security forces have launched “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” carrying out coordinated air and ground strikes against Afghan Taliban positions in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and Nangarhar, as well as several other locations, following what officials described as unprovoked cross-border aggression.
In a statement posted on X, the authority advised the public not to share, disseminate, forward or upload any unverified, inflammatory or misleading information that could directly or indirectly harm national interests, public order or state institutions.
Public Advisory: In view of the prevailing sensitive national situation, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) urges all citizens to be responsible while using social media and digital platforms.
All citizens are advised not to share, disseminate, forward, or upload any… pic.twitter.com/uN2tqHPg2s
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) February 28, 2026
The PTA stressed the need to rely solely on authentic information based on official sources and to refrain from spreading rumours.
“Sharing any fake news or false information is liable to legal action in accordance with applicable laws,” the statement warned.
The regulator called upon citizens to act with caution, maturity and a strong sense of national responsibility to help maintain stability and public confidence during the current circumstances.
Earlier, the information ministry said it exposed the false Afghan and Indian media propaganda about the alleged capture of a Pakistani pilot.
The ministry emphasised that all Pakistan Air Force aircraft are accounted for, with no losses reported, and all pilots are safe. In a statement, the government said there was no official confirmation from authorities of any aircraft loss and no independent international media outlet, defence monitoring agency, or satellite intelligence source had verified the claim.
No evidence of aircraft loss
The narrative relied solely on statements from Afghan officials and selective media amplification.
“There is no visual proof of crash debris, wreckage site or captured pilot,” the ministry said, adding that no geolocated imagery or satellite evidence supports the claim. It noted that in modern conflict environments, verified aircraft crashes are typically documented quickly — something that has not occurred in this case. The ministry further said videos circulating on social media as alleged evidence of the jet crash were old or unrelated clips.
Read More: Pakistan rejects ‘false’ claims of jet shot down in Nangarhar
According to the statement, some of the viral footage was from an unrelated panic situation in Afghanistan and had been recycled to fit the false narrative.
Image linked to unrelated incident
A misleading image shared by TOLO News, saying the photo of a fallen aircraft was not from Pakistan.
“The image corresponds to a Russian aircraft incident in Turkey in 2021,” the statement said, calling the reuse of unrelated foreign crash imagery a deliberate attempt to construct a false narrative. The ministry said that over the past two days, hundreds of fake or misleading videos linked to what it described as an India-Afghan propaganda ecosystem had been debunked.
