On May 9, the Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera reported—citing unnamed Pakistani military sources—that Pakistani forces had captured an Indian Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivani Singh. According to the report by correspondent Kamal Hyder, Singh was allegedly taken into custody after the Pakistan Army shot down the Rafale jet she was piloting. This claim, based solely on Pakistani sources, quickly gained traction on Pakistani social media platforms.
Fact Check
Upon investigation, we found the claim to be Fake. During a press conference held on May 11, Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), clarified that no Indian pilots had been taken into custody by Pakistani forces. Responding to a reporter’s question referencing an international media report by Al Jazeera about the alleged capture of an Indian female pilot, Chaudhry dismissed the claims as mere social media speculation. He firmly stated that there was no truth to the reports and that no such incident had occurred.
We also came across a similar report of denial in the Pakistani media outlet, The International News, which also dismissed the claims regarding the capture of an Indian female pilot.
Conclusion
Thus, the fact check clearly establishes that the viral claim is false. No Indian pilot has been captured by Pakistan, as confirmed by the Pakistani military spokesperson himself, who officially denied the allegation.
