Operation Sindoor, launched by India in early May 2025, represents a significant escalation in the country's response to cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Triggered by the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists, the operation targeted what India asserted were terrorist infrastructure sites within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This action and its aftermath have exposed Pakistan's ongoing struggle with its terror "factory" and revealed the extent of its propaganda campaign aimed at obfuscating the reality of the situation.
The Pahalgam attack, claimed initially by The Resistance Front (TRF), a group believed to be an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, served as the immediate catalyst for Operation Sindoor. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting and harboring terrorist groups operating within its borders, a charge Pakistan routinely denies or dismisses as "baseless." In response to the Pahalgam attack, India's reaction was swift and decisive. Beyond the military strikes, India took several diplomatic and economic measures, including temporarily suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari-Wagah border crossing, imposing a travel ban on Pakistani nationals, and downgrading diplomatic relations.
On May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, conducting missile strikes on what it identified as nine terror-related sites. According to Indian sources, these strikes specifically targeted training camps and infrastructure belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), avoiding civilian or military facilities. However, Pakistan claimed that the Indian strikes hit civilian areas, including mosques, resulting in casualties.
Following India's strikes, Pakistan retaliated with shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) and attempted drone attacks. India responded with a second wave of strikes, targeting Pakistani radar systems, communication centers, and airfields. The conflict saw a rapid escalation, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy damage on the other. Amid growing international concern, a ceasefire was announced on May 10, 2025, reportedly brokered with the help of US mediation.
In the wake of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan launched an extensive propaganda campaign aimed at undermining India's narrative and portraying itself as the victim of aggression. This campaign involved the spread of misinformation through various channels, including social media, state-funded media outlets, and even attempts to influence Western media. Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) was actively involved in disseminating false claims, such as alleging that India had fired missiles on Amritsar and that Pakistani forces had shot down multiple Indian fighter jets. These claims were quickly debunked by Indian authorities and fact-checking organizations, which exposed the use of doctored images, recycled videos, and outright lies.
One notable example of Pakistan's propaganda was the claim of shooting down five Indian fighter jets, accompanied by doctored images from unrelated incidents, such as a 2024 MiG-29 crash and a 2014 Su-30MKI crash. Similarly, claims of Pakistani air strikes on a military base in Amritsar were proven false, with visuals from a 2004 wildfire being misrepresented. The Indian government actively countered these false narratives through its Press Information Bureau (PIB), which cautioned against "Pakistan-sponsored propaganda" and urged people to scrutinize information.
The failure of Chinese-made weaponry in Pakistan's arsenal during the conflict also became a subject of propaganda. Reports emerged that Pakistan's Chinese Air Defence System failed to prevent Indian strikes on terror sites, leading China to launch a PR campaign to defend the quality of its weapons. This involved publishing reports in foreign media outlets praising Chinese military equipment and exaggerating Pakistan's success in using them against India.
Operation Sindoor and its aftermath have underscored the complex and volatile nature of India-Pakistan relations. While the immediate military escalation ended with a ceasefire, the underlying issues of cross-border terrorism and Kashmir remain unresolved. India has adopted a more assertive counter-terrorism strategy, making it clear that it will not tolerate terrorist attacks emanating from Pakistani soil. Pakistan, on the other hand, continues to grapple with its image as a state sponsor of terrorism and faces increasing international pressure to take concrete steps to dismantle its terror infrastructure. The exposure of Pakistan's propaganda campaign highlights the importance of media literacy and critical thinking in navigating the complex information landscape surrounding the conflict.
