In the aftermath of India's military strikes on nine identified terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor, a wave of misinformation has emerged from Pakistani media and government-affiliated sources.
In the hours following Operation Sindoor, numerous Pakistani government-linked media channels and social media accounts began circulating unverified claims, many of which have been flagged as misinformation by independent analysts and fact-checkers.
Several posts falsely claimed that Pakistan had retaliated by launching missile strikes at 15 locations inside India. Others claimed that Srinagar Airbase had been hit by the Pakistan Air Force and that an Indian Army Brigade Headquarters had been destroyed.
These claims were widely circulated on X (formerly Twitter), particularly by high-follower accounts aligned with Pakistan's military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). However, no credible visual or satellite evidence has been provided to support these assertions.
"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.
Numerous images and videos shared to bolster these claims were later identified as unrelated or archival footage. Some were traced to unrelated past incidents, while others were digitally altered. Despite the lack of substantiation, the posts were amplified by several mainstream Pakistani media outlets.
Operation Sindoor
Following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead, 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, India early on Wednesday launched coordinated missile strikes aimed exclusively at terror camps operated by Pakistan-based groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
India's Ministry of Defence described Operation Sindoor as "focused, measured and non-escalatory," explicitly stating that no Pakistani civilian or military targets were attacked. According to Indian officials, the intent was to hold the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack accountable.
Immediately following the strikes, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval communicated with his US counterpart, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, briefing them on the evidence linking Pakistan-based terrorist groups to the Pahalgam attack. Similar briefings were given to key allies, including Russia, the UK, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
