No Pakistani jet shot down in Nangarhar, says information ministry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected claims carried by sections of Afghan and Indian media that a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province and that its pilot was captured.

The ministry said the allegation was attributed to officials of the Taliban administration and was later amplified by Indian media outlets and regional platforms. It added that Pakistan’s armed forces have not reported any aircraft loss.

Officials said no independent international media organisation or defence monitoring agency has verified the claim. They added that no physical or visual evidence has been presented, including debris, imagery of a crash site or verified proof of a captured pilot.

The ministry also said videos circulating on social media as purported evidence are unrelated and predate the current claim. It said an image aired by Afghan broadcaster TOLO News and shared online as a downed Pakistani jet corresponds to a separate incident involving a Russian aircraft in Turkey in 2021 and is being reused.

The ministry described the claim as disinformation and said the narrative relies on uncorroborated statements without support from neutral sources.