In the wake of India's "Operation Sindoor," a targeted military strike against terror camps across the border in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, a surge of disinformation has emerged, primarily from Pakistani media and government-linked social media accounts. These platforms have been circulating false narratives alleging retaliatory attacks by Pakistan on Indian soil. The Indian government's official fact-checking agency, the Press Information Bureau (PIB), has actively debunked these claims, labeling them as "false" and part of a "Pakistan Propaganda Alert!".
One of the most prominent false claims was that Pakistan attacked a military base in Amritsar. The PIB Fact Check division clarified that a viral video purporting to show this attack was actually footage from a wildfire in 2024. The PIB urged citizens to avoid sharing unverified information and to rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate updates.
Another instance of misinformation involved a viral image falsely claiming that the Pakistan Army had shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur. The PIB Fact Check debunked this claim, stating that the image was from a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, in 2021 and unrelated to recent events. Similarly, a video was circulated falsely claiming that the Indian Army raised a white flag and surrendered at Chora Post.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also made a baseless claim that Indian soldiers were captured following Pakistan's response to the military strikes but later backtracked. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) described this as a coordinated attempt by Pakistan to mislead the media, distort the global narrative, and manipulate public perception in the wake of India's successful operation, to create the "illusion of a strong counter-response".
The Indian government has taken notice of this widespread disinformation campaign. The ministries of Information Technology and Information & Broadcasting are "constantly monitoring" social media platforms for misleading content related to Operation Sindoor and have asked these platforms to block any unlawful material. A war room was reportedly set up within the fact check unit of the PIB to crosscheck information circulating on social media platforms around the clock. The FCU, under the press information bureau issued at least 18 rebuttals on its social media platforms, addressing false narratives related to terror attack.
Agencies and organizations in charge of critical infrastructure, such as the Power Ministry, financial institutions including banks, and telecom operators are also on "high alert" after facing a number of cyber attacks following the Pahalgam terror attack.
This situation highlights the increasing use of disinformation as a tool in modern conflicts. The scale and coordination of these efforts suggest a deliberate strategy to mislead the public and influence perception both domestically and internationally. The Indian government's response, through its fact-checking agencies and monitoring of social media, underscores the importance of verifying information and relying on official sources during times of heightened tension.
