Posts from several users on social media platform Facebook on Thursday shared a video of fighter jets landing and taking off on a runway, claiming that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was ready for any emergency amid recent tensions with India. However, the video is from October 2020 and shows PAF exercises to prepare for warlike situations.

An attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in India-occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer, on Tuesday. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others. It was the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. A hitherto unknown group, named by several Indian outlets as ‘The Resistance Front’, is said to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

India followed suit by announcing a series of actions against Pakistan. Responding in kind, Pakistan’s top brass also announced a series of measures, including the closure of its airspace to all India-owned or Indian-operated airlines with immediate effect.

As diplomatic channels dry up and treaty frameworks teeter, analysts warn that relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours may be approaching a dangerous tipping point, with limited space remaining for de-escalation.

On Thursday, a user on Facebook shared a video of fighter jets landing on and taking off a runway.

The post’s caption said, “Pakistan Air Force fighter jets landing on motorway, ready for any emergency.”

The Facebook reel garnered 16,700K and was shared 137 times. It did not share any other details about the video, such as its date, location or context for the jet movements.

The same video received 65,000 views when it was posted by the digital news outlet Pashto One with the same caption.

The same video was shared by several other Facebook accounts here, here, here and here.

None of the posts mentioned the date, context or any other additional details for the video. It was shared amid the current tensions between Pakistan and India, whose troops also exchanged fire overnight across the Line of Control between April 24 and 25.

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality, to satisfy the public’s request seeking authentication for the claim and significant public interest in the recent tension between the two countries.

A reverse image search of the video yielded an October 7, 2020, news report from the English-language publication, The Express Tribune titled, “Watch: PAF fighter jets land on Islamabad-Lahore motorway”.

The article mentioned that the PAF combat crew had been conducting an exercise on the Islamabad-Lahore motorway in case it ever needed to conduct air operations during warlike situations.

The news report also shared a video from the Pakistan Air Force’s YouTube channel showing the exercises, which corresponded to the same footage under investigation.

Therefore, the fact-check determined that the viral video of fighter jets landing and taking off from a motorway, showing military preparedness amid the recent Pakistan-India tensions, is misleading.

The footage is old from 2020, and while it did show air force exercises to prepare for any warlike situation, it is unrelated to the current events and tensions in the region. Sharing the video without these details can mislead the public during the current period of heightened tensions that the Air Force is entering combat readiness, which could spread fear and worry about war or military encounters.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.