Pakistan has unleashed propaganda machine in response to successful ‘Operation Sindoor': I&B Ministry

The Hindu

07-05-2025

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) on Wednesday (May 7, 2025) in a statement said that following India's 'precision strikes' against terrorist camps under 'Operation Sindoor', Pakistan had 'unleashed a full-blown disinformation offensive' on social media in a 'desperate attempt to shift the focus from ground reality'.
'Pro-Pakistan social media handles and even influential political figures are deliberately spreading fake news, fabricating stories of miraculous military victories and heroic retaliation that simply do not exist,' the Ministry said.
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The I&B Ministry said Pakistan's state-affiliated accounts had been recycling outdated images, misrepresenting old videos, and inventing completely fabricated claims.
'Their goal is clear — to flood the information space with falsehoods so quickly and overwhelmingly that it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction. This is not just misinformation; it is a calculated, coordinated campaign designed to distort reality, mislead the public, and manipulate perceptions across the region,' the Ministry said.
The Ministry pointed out that old images were being used to make misleading claims, which were being flagged by its fact-checking unit regularly.
'One of the most prominent examples is a viral image falsely claiming that the Pakistan Army had shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur. The image, however, was debunked by PIB [Press Information Bureau] Fact Check, which confirmed that it was actually from a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab in 2021, entirely unrelated to current events,' the Ministry said.
A video was in circulation 'falsely claiming that the Indian Army raised a white flag and surrendered at Chora Post. This fabricated narrative was amplified by Pakistan's Minister Attaullah Tarar, who publicly endorsed the claim without a shred of evidence,' the I&B Ministry said, adding, 'By lending official weight to an unverified and clearly false story, Tarar not only misled his own citizens but also actively contributed to the propaganda campaign.'
In another misleading post, a video was being circulated with the claim that the Pakistan Air Force had targeted the Srinagar Airbase. 'In reality, this footage was traced back to sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan that occurred in early 2024. The video had no connection to Kashmir or any recent airstrike,' the Ministry said.
While a false claim was circulated that Pakistan had destroyed an Indian Brigade Headquarters, another old image — of a MiG-29 crash in Barmer, Rajasthan from September 2024 — was used by 'pro-Pakistan social media', the Ministry said.
The Ministry said Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had also made a baseless claim that Indian soldiers had been captured during the recent military strikes, a statement that had been later debunked and retracted.
'Asif alleged that Indian soldiers had been taken prisoner following Pakistan's response to India's Operation Sindoor. However, these claims were promptly dismissed as false, with no evidence to support the assertion of captured soldiers. The [Pakistan] Defence Minister later retracted his statement, acknowledging that no Indian soldiers had been taken into custody,' the Ministry said.
Describing it all as a coordinated attempt by Pakistan to mislead the media, distort the global narrative, and manipulate public perception in the wake of India's successful operation, the I&B Ministry said Pakistan was trying to create the 'illusion of a strong counter-response'.