Operation Sindoor: Old videos, fake news flood X after Indian strikes

Business Standard

07-05-2025

Following India's precision strikes on nine identified terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, a significant wave of misinformation has emerged from Pakistani government-linked sources and media outlets.
In the immediate aftermath of the operation, several Pakistani state-affiliated media platforms and social media accounts began circulating a series of unverified claims. Independent fact-checkers and analysts have since flagged many of these assertions as false or misleading.
Among the most prominent were claims that Pakistan had carried out retaliatory missile attacks on 15 Indian locations. Some posts further alleged that the Pakistan Air Force had struck the Srinagar airbase and destroyed an Indian Army brigade headquarters. These claims were shared widely on X, especially by popular accounts that support Pakistan's military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). But so far, no trustworthy photos or satellite images have been shown to prove these claims.
"In a video shared by several pro-Pakistan handles, it is being falsely claimed that the Pakistan Airforce has targeted Srinagar airbase. The video shared is old and NOT from India. The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Rely only on official Government of India sources for authentic Information," the Press Information Bureau fact check said in a post.
In a video shared by several pro-Pakistan handles, it is being falsely claimed that the Pakistan Airforce has targeted Srinagar airbase #PIBFactCheck ❌ The video shared is old and NOT from India. ✅The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024, in… pic.twitter.com/vPmMq4IWdE
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 7, 2025
Several visuals used to support the false narratives were later exposed as either digitally altered or repurposed from unrelated incidents. Some were traced back to earlier events, while others had no connection to the current situation. Despite this, a number of mainstream Pakistani media outlets continued to circulate the discredited content, the news report said.
Operation Sindoor
The Indian military action followed the deadly terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives. Early Wednesday morning, India launched a series of coordinated missile strikes targeting camps run by Pakistan-based terror outfits, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Describing the mission, the Ministry of Defence called Operation Sindoor a 'focused, measured and non-escalatory' response. The ministry emphasised that no Pakistani civilian or military installations were targeted, underscoring the operation's intent to hold those behind the Pahalgam killings accountable.
Soon after the strikes, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval reached out to his US counterpart and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sharing intelligence on the terror groups linked to the Pahalgam attack.