Quick Take
Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.
Following India’s precision strikes in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has launched a disinformation campaign, spreading false claims and fabricating narratives to distract from reality, sources have said.
New Delhi:
In the wake of several misleading claims by the Pakistani side following India’s precision strikes on nine locations in the country, sources have dubbed the campaign a “disinformation offensive” by the neighbouring country.
The operation – which was India’s response to last month’s Pahalgam terror attack – involving 25 missiles, Kamikaze drones and precision bombs, began around 1 am on Wednesday and was planned so well that it ended in just 25 minutes.
Soon after the strikes, the sources said, the Pakistani misinformation machine kicked into gear and began churning out several misleading claims. Follow updates here.
“Pro-Pakistan social media handles and even influential political figures are deliberately spreading fake news, fabricating stories of miraculous military victories and heroic retaliation that simply do not exist,” a source said.
“In a blatant effort to hijack the narrative and distract from the reality on the ground, Pakistan’s state-affiliated accounts have turned to their familiar playbook: recycling outdated images, misrepresenting old videos, and inventing completely fabricated claims. Their goal is clear – to flood the information space with falsehoods so quickly and overwhelmingly that it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction,” the source added.
Citing examples, the sources said one of the most widely shared false claims is that the Pakistan army had shot down a Rafale jet of the Indian Air Force near Bahawalpur, which is home to the headquarters of the Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed. The image was fact-checked by PIB Fact Check, which revealed that it was from a MiG-21 crash in Punjab’s Moga in 2021.
⚠️Propaganda Alert!
Beware of old images shared by pro-Pakistan handles in the present context!
An #old image showing a crashed aircraft is being circulated with the claim that Pakistan recently shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur during the ongoing #OperationSindoor… pic.twitter.com/LdkJ1JYuH0
Atatullah Tarar, the Pakistani minister for information and broadcasting, claimed during an interview that, in the face of shelling, the Indian Army raised a white flag and surrendered at the Chora Complex along the Line of Control. A purported video of this is also being shared on social media.
“By lending official weight to an unverified and clearly false story, Tarar not only misled his own citizens but also actively contributed to the propaganda campaign,” the source said.
“Pakistan has unleashed a full-blown disinformation offensive – a desperate attempt to shift the focus and control the narrative with a barrage of lies and digital theatrics,” the source added.
Other Claims
Giving other examples, the sources said a rumour was being spread that Pakistan destroyed an Indian Brigade Headquarters, which they dismissed as “fabricated”.
An attempt was also made to pass off a 2024 video of sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as one of Pakistan destroying an Indian Brigade headquarters.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had to retract his statement after claiming that Indian soldiers had been taken prisoner after Pakistan responded to ‘Operation Sindoor’. Pressed for evidence, the Defence Minister acknowledged that no Indian soldiers had been taken into custody.
“These incidents reflect a deliberate and coordinated attempt by Pakistan to mislead the media, distort the global narrative, and manipulate public perception in the wake of India’s successful strike under Operation Sindoor. By flooding social media with recycled images, unrelated videos, and fabricated claims, Pakistan is attempting to obscure the actual outcome of the operation and create the illusion of a strong counter-response,” the source said.