On Sunday night, the Indian Army’s Western Command released a video on its official social media handle highlighting Operation Sindoor, an Indian military operation launched on May 7, 2025, in response to the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam.

The video prominently featured images of Pakistan’s Shaheen ballistic missile, a nuclear-capable system, alongside other Pakistani missiles such as the Fatah series, and depicted Indian weapon systems including the BrahMos cruise missile and the Smerch and Pinaka multi-launch rocket systems.

The video’s caption, “Enemy Missiles neutralised. #IndianArmy impregnable wall of fire,” and accompanying hashtags like “#JusticeServed,” led to widespread speculation on social media. Many interpreted the footage as evidence that Pakistan had fired a Shaheen missile at India, which was then intercepted by India’s S-400 air defence system during Operation Sindoor. This narrative quickly gained traction across various Indian media outlets and online platforms.

However, the video was deleted by the Army the following morning. Army sources clarified that the images of the Shaheen missile were used solely for representational purposes and were mistakenly included without appropriate context or disclaimer. The footage had been sourced from open sources and was not intended to confirm the use of the Shaheen missile by Pakistan.

In response, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a categorical denial, rejecting the “unfounded allegations” circulating in the Indian media. The MFA stated that the claims originated from the Indian Army’s now-deleted video and emphasised that Pakistan had not employed the Shaheen missile during its retaliatory military action, codenamed Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos (BM).

The MFA further highlighted that, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement from May 12, 2025, Pakistan’s military used Fatah series missiles (F1 and F2), advanced loitering munitions, and long-range artillery, but not the Shaheen missile.

Despite the Army’s removal of the video, the initial narrative was already amplified by sections of the Indian media, which continued to report on the alleged Shaheen missile launch without independent verification. Pakistan’s MFA criticised the Indian Army for not issuing a formal clarification or retraction after deleting the video, expressing concern over the spread of misinformation and its potential impact on regional stability.

Meanwhile, senior Indian military officials, including Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, visited forward locations in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, underscoring the heightened alert and ongoing military activities along the border.

The controversy stemmed from a representational video mistakenly released by the Indian Army, which was misinterpreted and widely circulated as evidence of a Pakistani Shaheen missile launch. Both the Indian Army and Pakistan’s MFA have since clarified that no such missile was used, and the episode has been cited as an example of how unverified information can quickly escalate tensions and shape public perception during periods of conflict.

Agencies