In the aftermath of India’s precision strikes-dubbed Operation Sindoor-on nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a coordinated disinformation campaign was launched by the Pakistani government and its supporters. This campaign, described by Indian officials as a “disinformation offensive,” sought to control the narrative and deflect attention from the outcomes of the operation, which was itself a response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025.

The Indian operation, executed with 25 missiles, kamikaze drones, and precision bombs, was meticulously planned and completed within 25 minutes in the early hours of May 7, 2025.

Almost immediately after the strikes, pro-Pakistan social media handles and prominent political figures began spreading a series of misleading and fabricated claims. According to sources in New Delhi, these efforts included recycling outdated images, misrepresenting old videos, and inventing entirely false stories of military victories and Indian casualties.

One of the most widely circulated falsehoods was the claim that the Pakistan Army had shot down a Rafale jet of the Indian Air Force near Bahawalpur, a location associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters. However, the image used to support this claim was quickly debunked by the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check unit, which revealed that it depicted a MiG-21 crash in Punjab’s Moga district in 2021, unrelated to the current conflict.

Another prominent example involved Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Atatullah Tarar, who publicly claimed that the Indian Army had surrendered at the Chora Complex along the Line of Control, even sharing a purported video of the event. Indian officials dismissed this as a blatant fabrication, noting that the video had no basis in fact and that Tarar’s endorsement only amplified the propaganda effort.

Additional rumours included claims that Pakistan had destroyed an Indian Brigade Headquarters and that Indian soldiers had been taken prisoner. The latter was initially asserted by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif but was later retracted after he admitted there was no evidence of Indian soldiers being captured. Another misleading video, purportedly showing the Pakistan Air Force targeting the Srinagar airbase, was traced back to unrelated sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in early 2024.

Indian officials and fact-checking units identified at least 24 accounts spreading misinformation about Operation Sindoor on the day of the strikes alone.

The overarching strategy, as described by Indian sources, was to “flood the information space with falsehoods so quickly and overwhelmingly that it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction.” This approach aimed not only to mislead the Pakistani public but also to distort the global narrative and manipulate international perception of the events.

The Pakistani disinformation campaign following Operation Sindoor was marked by the rapid and deliberate dissemination of fabricated stories, repurposed media, and baseless official statements.

These efforts were systematically exposed and debunked by Indian government fact-checking units, which underscored the campaign’s intent to obscure the reality of India’s successful strikes and create an illusion of effective Pakistani retaliation.

PIB