On the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14, the country’s Air Force was presented with national honours at a ceremony in Islamabad. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif conferred numerous awards upon those who participated in the conflict against India.

A video going viral on social media since Thursday’s event as part of Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day celebrations captured the South Asian country’s prime minister handing out an award to Wing Commander Malik Rizwan-Ul-Haq Iftikhar for “destroying” India’s S-400 air defence system.

Despite the countless medals being handed out to Pakistani officials, India has maintained a different stance on the purported “destruction” of the deadly S-400 altogether.

Why is S-400 crucial to the India-Pakistan conflict?

India enlisted the help of the Russian-made S-400 to counter Pakistan’s escalation in May following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Shortly after that, India launched its punitive Operation Sindoor against Pakistan-based terror infrastructure, backing its defence with S-400 as a centrepiece to intercept Pakistan’s attack.

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Deemed a major threat by NATO members, the S-400 is one of the most lethal surface-to-air missiles (SAM) in the world. Back in May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Adampur airbase in Punjab and fact-checked Pakistan’s claims that missiles from its JF-17 jet had decimated the S-400 defence system.

How PM Modi ‘fact-checked’ Pakistan’s claims that it destroyed S-400 at Adampur base

Modi’s Adampur appearance not only expressed his solidarity with the jawans in action, he also debunked Pakistan’s false suggestions. Although the airbase in Punjab inevitably became a target of the neighbouring country’s onslaught following Operation Sindoor’s launch, the S-400 system shot down all potential threats, gaining the title of India’s “Sudarshan Chakra.”

Despite India’s successful defensive efforts, Pakistan began disseminating disinformation backed by what the South Asian billed as a satellite image. The said picture highlighted what it deemed a destroyed S-400 at the Adampur location. “S-400 damaged!!!” Pakistani officials and reports inaccurately unloaded at the time.

However, PM Modi’s sole decision to stand tall with the Indian fighters was enough to dismiss Pakistan’s inflated suggestions that it had damaged the airbase. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh also slammed the statement about Pakistan annihilating India’s S-400 base as “completely false.”

During an official press briefing, Singh said, “In a swift and calibrated response, Indian armed forces carried out a precision strike only at identified military targets. Pakistan has also attempted to execute a continued malicious misinformation campaign, with claims of destruction of the Indian S-400 system, destruction of airfields at Suratgarh and Sirsa… India unequivocally rejects these false claims being spread by Pakistan.”

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As the snaps of the Indian prime minister’s Adampur visit blew up on social media, politicians and the public came together to praise Modi’s “masterclass in fact-checking.”

Internet reacts to Pakistan’s recent Independence Day ceremony

Given the recent awards ceremony in Islamabad, netizens have already taken to X to question the purpose of the event and Pakistan’s continued lies. While one side of the Internet pushed videos of Malik Rizwan-Ul-Haq Iftikhar being honoured on Pakistan’s Independence Day, many others asked for proof to substantiate the claim that the S-400 was “destroyed.”

“How do they even sleep at night after lying? Absolutely shameless,” someone commented under a video. “I wonder if any of them feel any shame taking these medals, knowing deep down inside they could not hit a single target,” added another.

A third user scoffed at the parallels between Indian Air Force’s Rizwan Malik being awarded Vir Chakra for his contributions during Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s Malik Rizwan-Ul-Haq for “faking an attack.”