Following India’s missile strikes under ‘Operation Sindoor’, Pakistan has launched a widespread disinformation campaign in an attempt to regain control of the narrative through digital manipulation and unverified claims.
What began as a targeted military operation by the Indian Armed Forces has quickly devolved into a chaotic online propaganda war, largely fuelled by pro-Pakistan social media accounts and influential political figures deliberately spreading fake news.
The intent appears to be to flood online spaces with so much disinformation that it becomes increasingly difficult for observers to discern fact from fiction. While misinformation during conflicts is not new, the scale and coordination of recent efforts suggest a deliberate strategy to mislead the public and influence perception both at home and abroad.
OLD IMAGES, MISLEADING CLAIMS GO VIRAL
One of the most prominent examples is a viral image falsely claiming that the Pakistan Army had shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur. The image was debunked by PIB Fact Check, which confirmed that it was actually from a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, in 2021 — entirely unrelated to current events.
Another misleading claim surfaced in the form of a video purportedly showing Indian troops surrendering under a flag at Chora Post. This fabricated narrative was amplified by Pakistan’s Minister Attaullah Tarar, who publicly endorsed the claim without a shred of evidence.
By lending his voice to an unsubstantiated claim, Tarar contributed to spreading a narrative that lacked factual backing.
UNRELATED FOOTAGE PASSED OFF AS COMBAT EVIDENCE
In another misleading post, a video was circulated with the claim that the Pakistan Air Force targeted the Srinagar airbase. The footage actually originated from sectarian clashes in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier in 2024 and bore no connection to any military activity in Kashmir.
Additionally, an old image of a MiG-29 crash in Rajasthan’s Barmer from September 2024 was circulated by Pakistani social media handles to falsely portray recent Indian Air Force losses.
