In the aftermath of India’s successful military strike under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has launched a coordinated disinformation campaign, using fabricated images, false narratives, and recycled videos in an attempt to distort public perception and claim an imaginary victory.
Unable to counter the Indian Armed Forces’ precise targeting of terror infrastructure, Pakistan has resorted to its familiar playbook of digital deception. Pro-Pakistan social media accounts, including those tied to political figures and official channels, have been actively spreading falsehoods, ranging from fake air combat wins to fabricated surrenders by Indian troops.
One viral post claimed that a Rafale jet was shot down by the Pakistan Army near Bahawalpur. This was quickly debunked by PIB Fact Check, which revealed the image was from a 2021 MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab. Similarly, another claim of Indian soldiers surrendering at Chora Post was boosted by Pakistan’s Minister Attaullah Tarar, despite the story being entirely baseless.
In another widely shared video, it was alleged that the Pakistan Air Force had bombed the Srinagar airbase. However, government fact-checkers confirmed the footage was from sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this year, with no link to Kashmir or any Indian military target.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif further fueled misinformation by claiming that five Indian jets were downed and that Indian soldiers had been captured. When pressed during a CNN interview for evidence, Asif could only cite social media posts. The claim was later debunked and retracted.
Additional falsehoods, such as the destruction of an Indian brigade headquarters and the circulation of old crash images, have been dismissed by defense sources and fact-checking authorities as part of an orchestrated propaganda blitz.
These attempts to manufacture a counter-narrative highlight Pakistan’s reliance on misinformation to mask the real outcomes of Operation Sindoor. Instead of confronting facts, the country has chosen to weaponize fake news to mislead its own citizens and the international community, undermining truth in the face of strategic failure.
