Fact Check: IAF’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ Dinner Menu Roasting Pakistan Is Not Real

India celebrated the 93rd anniversary of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which was established on October 8, 1932. Indian Air Force Day marks the anniversary of the IAF’s formation and honors the sacrifices made by countless air warriors in defending the nation. The main parade and celebrations took place at the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad. This year’s celebrations also included a farewell tribute to the iconic MIG-21 fighter jet.

The ceremonial parade was reviewed by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. Dignitaries including the Chief of Defence Staff and the heads of the Army and Navy were in attendance. The parade featured an aerial salute by Mi-17 helicopters and honored exemplary Air Warriors with medals and unit citations. An "Innovation Arena" showcased ideas and solutions developed by IAF personnel.

Meanwhile, an image of a dinner menu bearing the Indian Air Force logo, supposedly for the dinner hosted by the IAF, went viral on social media. The menu featured food items with intriguing names like “Rawalpindi Chicken Tikka Masala” and “Balakot Tiramisu.” All dishes were reportedly named after airbases destroyed by the IAF during Operation Sindoor.

Social media users claimed that the viral image showed the official dinner menu of the Indian Air Force’s 93rd anniversary celebrations. The menu listed the following items:

Starters & Main Course

Rawalpindi Chicken Tikka Masala

Rafiqui Rhara Mutton

Bholari Paneer Methi Malai

Sukkur Sham Savera Kofta

Sargodha Dal Makhani

Jacobabad Mewa Pulao

Bahawalpur Naan

Desserts

Balakot Tiramisu

Muzaffarabad Kulfi Faluda

Muridke Meetha Pan

“पूरा पाकिस्तान खाने में. From Rawalpindi Chicken Tikka to Sargodha Dal Makhani. Indian Airforce Day menu already looks delicious 🤗 but if you could add one dish, what would it be?”

Here is the screenshot of the claim.

Fact Check:

The claim is False. The image is not the real dinner menu at the IAF Chief’s home.

When we searched the viral image using Google Reverse Image Search, we found several social media posts clarifying that the menu is not real.

A post by an X user stated: “A Viral Image of a menu card (RIGHT) over the 93rd Anniversary Of #IndianAirForce is being shared suggesting the items were served at a Reception at the Chief of Air Staff's residence. The image is not verified and perhaps from a different unit/station and not the At Home Reception at the Air House, in New Delhi. The menu items served at the Air House are also shared — as we were there in attendance at the event.”

According to The Tribune India, a supposed “Indian Air Force 93rd anniversary dinner menu” went viral on social media but turned out to be fake. The list featured dishes named after Pakistani cities and sites linked to Operation Sindoor — the May 7 strike conducted in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The menu, circulating on X and WhatsApp, included tongue-in-cheek names referencing locations in Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reportedly targeted during the operation. However, attendees confirmed that no such menu was served during the official celebrations.

Despite being fake, the “Operation Sindoor menu” sparked a wave of memes and admiration online, with many users calling it “the most creative tribute ever.” Interestingly, even former senior Army officials shared the supposed menu.

Hence, the viral image showing a dinner menu “roasting” Pakistani cities targeted by India during Operation Sindoor is not the real menu served at the IAF official dinner at the Chief’s residence. While it is unclear whether the image belongs to any other IAF-related event, it is not from the Chief’s house dinner.