When Arch rivals India and Pakistan exchanged sold missiles, drones and fighter attacks on their shared borders, a video was shared in the post claiming it showed a Pakistani pilot cared for by an Indian civilian. In fact, the footage showed a crash in training flights and was circulated weeks before violence among nuclear-weapon neighbors quickly escalated.
The compilation of videos shared on Facebook on May 8, 2025 was titled: “Indian civilians help Pakistani pilots.”
The compilation includes clips of planes sweeping through the flames, and people seem to help injured pilots.
It emanated the second day after India launched a deadly missile strike on Pakistan, which triggered a four-day fierce battle that killed at least 70 people (a link to archive).
The violence took place two weeks after New Delhi alleged that Islamabad supported the attack, which killed 26 people in India-managed Kashmir (archive link). Pakistan denies participating in the attack.
The worst conflict between neighbors for decades has been suspended by a ceasefire agreed on May 10.
Screenshot of False Facebook post, captured on May 9, 2025
The compilation is also shared with similar posts elsewhere on Facebook.
combination However, a reverse image and keyword search on Google found that footage had previously circulated reports of plane crashes in news reports in the weeks before the current conflict.
The clips of the plane in the flames are mirrored from clips used by the news media Pakistan Etimes on Instagram April 16 (Archive link).
Its title says: “Pakistan Air Force jet crashed near Veanari City.”
Screenshot comparison of error sharing clips (left) and Etimes Pakistani videos (right)
Pakistan's Dawn newspaper used similar images in its April 16 report The previous day's crash involved Pakistan Air Force Near the training plane ratta tibba In Veanari Northwest District (Archived Link)).
“Both pilots had miraculous escapes when they ejected themselves and remained wound-free,” the report said.
The second clip in the compilation shows that a civilian caring for a military fatigue is from a Longer video Posted Pakistani media daily Osav Gilgit Baltonstein April 16 on its Facebook page (Archive link).
This clip is also mirrored in fake posts.
Screenshot comparison of error sharing clips (left) and Daily Osav Gilgit Bal's Stein clips (right)
The clip showing another pilot was previously published by CTN News from Pakistan on April 15 (archive link).
“The fighter just crashed. The pilot fell on the parachute,” someone spoke in Urdu, which can be heard on the clip. “Smoke rose from near my shop. It dropped here at Ratta Tibba.”
The wrong post uses the mirrored version of the clip.
Screenshots of fake shared clips (left) and CTN news videos (right)
AFP here and here debunks other misinformation about the India-Pakistan conflict.
