Fact Check: Air Chief Marshal AP Singh praises Pakistan’s defence capabilities? No, letter is fabricated
A letter has been circulating online, claiming IAF Chief AP Singh has praised Pakistan’s defence capability.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh praised Pakistan’s defence capabilities in an open letter.
Fact:The claim is false. The viral letter is fabricated. The original letter does not contain praise for Pakistan.
Hyderabad: Defence Partnership Days 2025 commenced on December 1-2, bringing together the Indian Armed Forces and the defence industry to strengthen collaboration, foster indigenous capabilities and build resilient supply chains in support of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Meanwhile, a letter attributed to Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, allegedly signed by him, has been circulating on social media. In the letter, Singh allegedly praised Pakistan’s capabilities and talked about the loss of a Rafale jet in a clash with Pakistan.
An X account, Pakistan Pulse, based in the United Kingdom, shared the letter with the caption, “Indian Air Force Chief praises Pakistan Air Force in the greetings message of Defence Partnership Day 2025. Despite fewer resources & older equipment, Pakistan continues to surprise us. Their creativity and enthusiasm remain impressive, a reminder that innovation isn’t just about tech.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the letter is fabricated.
Source of the letter
We checked the official X account of the Indian Air Force and found the original letter posted on November 30. Both letters contained the picture of Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and the IAF insignia, but upon analysis, many differences were noticed.
What was the original letter about?
The caption of the post sharing the original letter read, “The Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, conveys his best wishes for the success of Defence Partnership Days 2025 being organised by the Centre for Aerospace Power & Strategic Studies (CAPSS) and lndian Military Review (IMR) on 1-2 Dec 2025 at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. The event will foster closer cooperation between the Armed Forces and defence industry to identify sources of indigenous supply, import substitution and resilient supply chains towards a more Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
This letter does not talk of Rafale fighter jets or praise Pakistan’s defence capabilities.
Discrepancies in the viral letter
Our comparison of the viral letter against the original revealed significant discrepancies.
The unprofessional language raises serious concerns about its authenticity and casts doubt on the claim that it was written by an IAF officer. While the opening line matched, the remaining content diverged entirely.
Key differences include mismatched text fonts, four bullet points in the original versus five in the viral version, a typographical error in the third point and formatting inconsistencies with the fourth and fifth points, lacking proper spacing. Close examination of the IAF insignia in the viral letter revealed distortion, suggesting possible digital tampering.
On December 1, the Press Information Bureau’s fact-check wing clarified through its official X handle that the viral letter attributed to Air Chief Marshal AP Singh praising Pakistan’s capability and enthusiasm is digitally morphed.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral letter is fabricated. The claim of Singh praising Pakistan’s defence capability.
