Pakistan propaganda continues, floods social media with fake videos

New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) In the wake of India's successful counterterrorism strikes under Operation Sindoor, several Pakistani government-linked media outlets and social media accounts have been caught disseminating misleading and fabricated content in an apparent attempt to distort the facts surrounding the operation.

On Wednesday, the Indian armed forces launched a series of precision strikes against nine high-value terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 civilians dead.

The operation marked a significant moment in India's continuing fight against cross-border terrorism.

Following the strikes, a wave of disinformation emerged online, with Pakistani media houses and affiliated handles pushing false narratives and unverified claims across social platforms, particularly on X.

Independent analysts and India's official fact-checking bodies swiftly flagged many of these assertions as baseless.

One of the most widely circulated false claims alleged that Pakistan had bombed an Indian military base in Amritsar.

The video used to support the claim, showing massive flames lighting up the night sky, was quickly debunked.

Fact-checkers identified the footage as coming from a wildfire that occurred in Valparaiso, Chile, in 2024. The natural disaster had no connection whatsoever to any military action in India or Pakistan.

The Press Information Bureau's Fact Check division promptly addressed the misinformation, stating: "Pakistan Propaganda Alert! Pakistan-based handles are spreading old videos falsely alleging strikes on a military base in Amritsar. The video being shared is from a wildfire in 2024. Avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information."

Despite these clarifications, numerous pro-Pakistan accounts -- including those tied to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) -- continued to push similar content.

Several images and videos shared by Pakistani sources were either digitally altered or lifted from unrelated incidents, often years old, and repurposed to suggest a fabricated narrative of retaliation and military prowess.

Observers noted that even influential political figures joined in, sharing discredited material and making unsubstantiated claims of victorious counterstrikes.

Analysts have described this as a concerted effort by Pakistan's information machinery to reshape public perception in the aftermath of India's operation.

According to experts tracking the flow of disinformation, the use of manipulated content, such as outdated war footage and repurposed disaster videos, forms part of a longstanding strategy employed by Pakistan's state-linked media to maintain a psychological narrative of parity and defiance against India -- especially following high-impact Indian military operations.

In response to the flood of misinformation, the Indian government reiterated its call for the public and the press to rely exclusively on verified updates from official sources.

Authorities also warned against the dangers of circulating unverified or fake news that could create unnecessary panic or mislead public opinion.

--IANS

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