• By News Desk
  • Wed, 17 Dec 2025 07:27 PM (IST)
  • Source:Vishvas News

A screenshot of a letter purportedly written by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou is being shared on social media platforms, especially on X. The post alleges that the image shows a leaked confidential letter in which Jaishankar expresses concern about media reports revealing the delivery timeline of Rafale jets for the Indian Navy.

Vishvas News investigated and found this claim to be fake. The alleged letter based on this claim is fabricated and is being circulated by a Pakistan-based account.

What is viral?

Social media user 'Discourse Lab' shared the viral post with the caption, "Jaishankar's letter to France confirms one thing: the Rafale controversy is far from over. New Delhi is struggling to contain the fallout of leaked communications."

"Jaishankar's letter to France makes one thing clear: the Rafale controversy is far from over. New Delhi is still grappling with the fallout from the leaked communications."

Investigation

The letter shared in the viral post does resemble an official letter written by the External Affairs Minister. A social media search using the keywords 'S Jaishankar letter' led us to a letter shared by the handle '@HRNagendra1', in which he shared a copy of the letter he received from India's External Affairs Minister on his reappointment.

This official letter, issued by India's External Affairs Minister, features the Ashoka Pillar emblem and Jaishankar's signature. Comparing it with the one shared in the viral post clearly shows the difference.

Apart from this, we found an official response from Jaishankar's verified account to a letter addressed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. That communication, too, prominently highlights the Ashoka Pillar emblem along with his signature, further highlighting how the viral letter doesn't match genuine official correspondence.

To verify the viral claim, we checked the official handles of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. During this search, we found a post from the MEA's official Fact Check handle, which clearly stated that the letter in question is fake.

Our investigation has revealed that the viral letter is fake. We contacted Madhurendra Kumar, a senior journalist covering foreign affairs, regarding the viral claim, and he confirmed that the letter is fake.

Fact-check reports on foreign and other viral claims related to AI are provided by Vishvas News. The world and AI can be read in Czech.

The handle sharing the viral letter is operated from Pakistan. It has been active on X since April 2025 and also changed its username around the same time.

Conclusion: Vishvas News found that the claim of a leaked confidential letter written by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to French Ambassador Thierry Mathou regarding the Rafale controversy is fake, and the letter going viral with this claim is fabricated and has been shared by Pakistani social media handles for propaganda purposes.


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