Operation Sindoor: Pak trying to control narrative with barrage of lies, digital theatrics

New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) Pakistan is trying to distort the narrative on the success of "Operation Sindoor" carried out by the Indian Armed Forces inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), security experts asserted.

The experts submitted that following India’s decisive strike, Pakistan has unleashed a full-blown disinformation offensive, in a "desperate attempt" to shift the focus and control the narrative with a barrage of lies and digital theatrics.

They said that these incidents reflect a deliberate and coordinated attempt by Pakistan to mislead the media, distort the global narrative, and manipulate public perception in the wake of India’s successful strike under "Operation Sindoor".

“By flooding social media with recycled images, unrelated videos, and fabricated claims, Pakistan is attempting to obscure the actual outcome of the operation and create the illusion of a strong counter-response. This strategy appears aimed at diverting attention from the effectiveness of India’s action, while simultaneously trying to influence both domestic sentiment and international opinion through false portrayals of battlefield developments,” an expert said.

What started as a focused and effective military operation by the Indian Armed Forces has now-spiralled into a chaotic online propaganda war.

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.

It has been further pointed out that in a blatant effort to hijack the narrative and distract from the reality on the ground, Pakistan’s state-affiliated accounts have turned to their familiar playbook -- recycling outdated images, misrepresenting old videos, and inventing completely fabricated claims.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,” another security expert said.

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 Fact Check, which confirmed that it was actually from a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, in 2021, entirely unrelated to current events,” the expert said.

Another brazen piece of misinformation surfaced in the form of a video 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. 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,” they added.

In another misleading post, the security experts said that a video was circulated with the claim that the Pakistan Air Force targeted the Srinagar airbase.

However, 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.

Meanwhile, a rumour also claimed that Pakistan destroyed an Indian Brigade Headquarters, a claim that has no basis in fact and has been entirely fabricated.

Another old image, this time of a MiG-29 crash in Barmer, Rajasthan, from September 2024, was recirculated by pro-Pakistan social media handles to imply recent Indian Air Force losses, which did not occur.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also made a baseless claim that Indian soldiers were captured during the recent military strikes, a statement that was later debunked and retracted.

He claimed 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 Pakistani Defence Minister later retracted his statement, acknowledging that no Indian soldiers had been taken into custody.

--IANS

dan/pgh