Turkey refutes reports of sending weapons to Pakistan

Turkey has dismissed as false recent reports claiming it sent weapons to Pakistan amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 24 tourists.

The rumor, which first surfaced on social media, alleged that Ankara dispatched six military transport planes loaded with weapons and UAVs to Pakistan. The claim hogged the limelight after it was published by the Turkish newspaper Sözcü.

Turkey’s Communications Directorate has refuted the reports, calling them untrue.

In a post on X, its Center for Countering Disinformation said: “A cargo plane departing from Türkiye made a refueling stop in Pakistan before continuing on its designated route. Speculative reports not based on statements from official authorities should be disregarded.”

How a fake account fueled 'misinformation'

The 'false claim' originated from a now-deleted fake account on X, @1PakistaN_Army, which on April 27 alleged that a Turkish C-130 aircraft had delivered military cargo -- ranging from light arms to drones and missile systems -- to Pakistan.

The post included an image wrongly described as Turkish military aid; the photo actually showed a Turkish aircraft delivering medical supplies to the U.S., according to the Associated Press.

The tweet from a now-deleted account.

Soon after the original account was removed, a nearly identical “backup” account appeared with the same handle (with slight character changes) and reposted the same content. That tweet has since garnered over 2,500 likes and 350 retweets. Both accounts used the same language, imagery, and formatting, suggesting coordinated activity or a single operator behind them.

Despite their names, neither account is officially linked to Pakistan’s military.