India’s Operation Sindoor Exposes Pakistan’s Propaganda Playbook

In the aftermath of India’s decisive military strike under ‘Operation Sindoor,’ Pakistan has unleashed a full-blown disinformation offensive. Desperate to shift the focus and control the narrative, Islamabad has resorted to a barrage of lies, digital theatrics, and outright fabrications.

What began as a focused and effective operation by the Indian Armed Forces has now transformed into an online propaganda war. Pro-Pakistan social media handles, along with influential political figures, are deliberately spreading fake news—crafting stories of imaginary military victories and heroic retaliations that never took place.

Pakistan’s state-affiliated accounts have predictably fallen back on their familiar tactics: recycling outdated images, misrepresenting old videos, and manufacturing completely false claims. Their strategy is clear—flood the information space with lies so rapidly and overwhelmingly that it becomes difficult for anyone to distinguish fact from fiction.

One of the most glaring examples is a viral image falsely claiming that the Pakistan Army shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur. In reality, the image was from a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, in 2021—completely unrelated to current events.

Even senior officials like Pakistan’s Minister Attaullah Tarar have joined the misinformation campaign. He publicly endorsed a fabricated claim that the Indian Army raised a white flag and surrendered at Chora Post—an incident that never happened. Such false endorsements mislead the Pakistani public and fuel a false narrative.

Another baseless story circulated was that Pakistan’s Air Force targeted the Srinagar airbase. This, too, was debunked, as the footage originated from sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in early 2024, having no connection to Kashmir.

Perhaps the most absurd claim was the suggestion that Pakistan destroyed an Indian Brigade Headquarters—a complete fabrication. Defence sources swiftly dismissed it as baseless.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif further fueled the propaganda fire with his false claim that Indian soldiers were captured during the operation. This statement, like many others, was debunked and later retracted, with no evidence supporting it.

In essence, Pakistan’s disinformation campaign is a calculated attempt to distort reality, mislead the media, and manipulate public perception. By flooding social media with recycled images, unrelated videos, and invented stories, Islamabad is trying to create an illusion of strength and retaliation.

But behind the fog of propaganda lies the truth—India’s Operation Sindoor was a successful and well-executed strike. No amount of digital deceit can alter that reality.