Fake fire news at Lahore Airport exposes Indian media once again

ISLAMABAD: Indian media outlets were once again caught spreading disinformation on Saturday after falsely reporting a fire eruption at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, with claims that several people, including soldiers, had died.

Several prominent Indian news platforms, including Financial Express, DNA India, and ABP Live, carried the baseless story without verification.

DNA India went as far as to falsely assert that it had “verified” the incident, claiming that “14 Pakistani soldiers have died in the incident.”

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) has strongly denied the false news reported by several Indian media outlets “regarding a so-called ‘massive fire’ at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport.

PAA clarified in a statement posted on its official Facebook account: “We assure the public that no such incident has occurred and that airport operations are fully normal and uninterrupted.

“We firmly condemn the spread of unverified and sensationalized news, which serves only to create panic and confusion.”

PAA “strongly advised” the citizens to rely only on official and trustworthy news sources for updates and information. “We encourage the public to boycott those media outlets that irresponsibly spread misinformation.”

Pahalgam attack — implications on Pak-Afghan relations

The false reporting about fire at Lahore Airport has once again tarnished the credibility of Indian media, which is already under fire for its track record of spreading fake news and propaganda against Pakistan.

Earlier, Indian media also came under criticism for its coverage of the recent attack in Pahalgam, occupied Kashmir, where it distorted facts and directed unfounded accusations towards Pakistan, further fuelling tensions with a mix of imagination and propaganda.