News outlets first publish, then delete reports based on fake video of Pak’s Ahmed Sharif ‘confirming’ loss of jets

In a viral video, Pakistan’s lieutenant general Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary, who is the director general (DG) of the inter-services public relations (ISPR) for the country’s armed forces, admitted that two JF-17 aircraft belonging to Pakistan were lost in combat after India launched Operation Sindoor.

In the video, Sharif addresses the press as saying, “Thank you for being with us today, following the developments of Operation Sindoor, we find it’s important to offer transparency and reaffirm our enduring commitment to regional stability. The operation saw intense engagement along the Eastern corridor. We regret to confirm that two JF-17 aircraft were lost during active duty. Yeh ruksaan hamare liye sirf numbers nahi ek jazbaati dhakka hai. (This loss is not just about numbers for us—it’s an emotional blow). We also suffered damage to civilian infrastructure and casualties among our brave service members. Shaheedo ke gharwaalon ke liye hamari duaen hai. (Our prayers are with the families of the martyrs). Their sacrifice will always be honoured. In the Pahalgam axis, significant tactical shifts were observed. The situation is still developing and we are monitoring it closely. Strategic consequence saamne aa rahe hai (are coming to light) and we are prepared to respond accordingly. Let me say this clearly, Pakistan does not believe in war. Humne har dafa sabr se kaam liya hai, (We have always exercised patience) despite serious provocation. Our aim has never been escalation but stability and peace. Sovereignty ka tahafoos hamari zimmedaari hai (Protecting sovereignty is our responsibility). But so is our role in ensuring a peaceful future for our region. We urge our counterparts to choose dialogue over aggression. Jang ka bojh sirf sipahi nahi, har ghar uthaata hai. (The burden of war is not borne by the soldier alone—but their whole family). Pakistan stands for regional peace, mutual dignity and the principles of international conduct. Aman ka rasta mushkil zaroor hai lekin zaroor. (The path to peace is certainly difficult — but necessary)…”

On May 8, News18 Bangla shared a portion of this clip on their broadcast, stating that Pakistan officials confirmed the loss of two JF-17 aircraft. The video has now been taken down.

The same day, Times of India also published a report titled “Pakistan admits India shot down 2 of its JK-17 jets”. However, since then, the news outlet has tweaked the report’s headline and content. The URL, which was generated from the old headline, remains the same. Screenshots below of archived versions suggest that ToI first published and then modified the headline and content of the story entirely.

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Another news outlet, The Statesman, also published an article with a title, “India downs Pak’s two JF-17, DG ISPR admits to the loss”. The story seems to have been taken down because the URL redirects to the Statesman’s homepage now. Similarly, the Free Press Journal published a piece titled “Ek jasbati dhakka hai: Pakistan army admits India shot down 2 JF-17 Jets (WATCH)”. This story, too, has been taken down now. Below are screenshots of archived versions (Statesman archive, FPJ archive).

Several social media users, including X users Gaurav Singh (@Gaurav_Shade), Sudhir (@seriousfunnyguy), Ocean Jain (@ocjain4) shared versions of the video with similar claims. On YouTube, channel TheJaipurDialogues also shared it. (Archives 1, 2, 3)

Pak agree to two JF17 lost#Jammu #DroneAttack pic.twitter.com/BkGYJe9Cqs

— Gaurav Singh (@Gaurav_Shade) May 8, 2025

It is to inform our readers that Ocean Jain has been fact-checked several times by Alt News for spreading misinformation on social media platforms. 

A Facebook page, The Trident: Military and Space, also uploaded a 1:37-minute video and echoing similar claims. (archive)

🚨Breaking News

पाकिस्तान के दो एफ-16 लड़ाकू विमान मार गिराए गए💪💪

पाकिस्तान को अब तक कुल नुकसान

1. 2 चीनी JF 17
2. 1 F16
3. 8-10 पाक मिसाइलें
4. 30+ ड्रोन pic.twitter.com/nnXwVInwRC

— Ocean Jain (@ocjain4) May 8, 2025

Several others also shared his video with similar claims.

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Fact Check

We examined the full 1:37-minute video and noticed several discrepancies in the lip sync while Sharif was speaking. This raised concerns that the video may potentially be manipulated. We conducted a reverse image search on several key frames to verify the video’s authenticity. This led us to a Facebook live video by a Pakistani news outlet “News Alert” from December 27, 2024. 

We then found the same video on the ISPR’s YouTube channel. On December 27, 2024, Ahmed Sharif addressed the media during a press conference focused on key national security and regional developments.

On looking closely, we were able to confirm that this was the original video that was later manipulated and circulated after Operation Sindoor’s launch. 

At the 0:39-minute mark of the 1:37-minute version of the viral video, several journalists can be seen taking notes. We compared this frame with a similar one from the December 27, 2024 video and found striking similarities: the same group of journalists, wearing identical outfits and seated in the same order. The comparison below outlines this:

We then used Hive Moderation, an AI-detection tool, to analyse the video. The result revealed that the audio in the video was 99% AI-generated, whereas the visuals were likely to be 3% AI-generated and mostly real. 

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To sum up, the viral video of lieutenant general Ahmed Sharif, Pakistan’s DG-ISPR, “confirming” the loss of two of their JK-17 aircraft during active duty is fake and doctored. The visuals in the video are sourced from a press conference held by the ISPR in December, 2024 and the audio is most likely AI-generated, our findings show. Several news outlets first reported based on this fake video and later took them down.