Some social media users contrasted the report with the Indian government’s insistence on secrecy on the Rafale deal

The first batch of pilots trained on the Rafale fighter jet for Qatar in November 2017 were Pakistani exchange officers, a US-based aviation industry news website noted in a report that a Pakistani defence website highlighted on Wednesday.

Some social media users contrasted the February report in www.ainonline.com — which, if verified, would mean Pakistani pilots were flying Rafales well before the IAF has even got its first jet from Dassault — with the Indian government’s insistence on secrecy on the Rafale deal.

The Narendra Modi government has been saying the sensitive information could be used by the country’s rivals — a reference to Pakistan.

An Indian defence ministry source said he was not aware of the online report.