Pakistan’s air defence infrastructure—particularly its HQ-9 missile launch systems—has reportedly sustained significant damage, according to sources in Islamabad cited by ANI. The reports emerge amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, following India’s successful execution of Operation Sindoor, which targeted and destroyed nine terror sites within Pakistani territory.
ANI reported, citing sources in Islamabad, that 24 strikes were carried out using different weapon systems across six locations. However, while Islamabad has attempted to downplay the scale and impact of the operation, it has simultaneously launched a misinformation campaign aimed at distorting the reality on the ground.
The Pakistan Army has claimed it downed several Indian drones—allegations that remain unverified and unsupported by any credible evidence.
In the wake of India’s precision strikes, Pakistani state-affiliated social media accounts have intensified efforts to flood the information ecosystem with falsehoods. These include the recycling of outdated visuals, mislabelling old footage, and fabricating entirely fictional narratives—an apparent strategy to muddy public perception and shift focus from the damage inflicted by Operation Sindoor.
India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit has been actively debunking such misinformation. One recent instance involved a viral post by a user named Shamil Jawani (@ShamilJawani1), which claimed that a military base in Amritsar, Punjab, had been struck, resulting in “numerous casualties.” The PIB promptly flagged the video as FAKE, clarifying that the footage was actually from a 2024 wildfire and had no connection to any military activity. The unit labelled the attempt as a “Pakistan Propaganda Alert.”
Another widely circulated false claim included an image purporting to show a downed Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur. Fact-checkers traced the image to a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, in 2021—entirely unrelated to the current conflict.
Pakistan’s disinformation campaign was further exposed during a CNN interview with its Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif. When asked to provide evidence of Pakistan’s claim of downing five Indian jets, Asif responded, “It’s all over social media.” The anchor retorted, “We didn’t ask you here to talk about social media content.” The exchange highlighted the Pakistani establishment’s reliance on unverified online content to support its narrative, undermining its credibility on the global stage.
India, meanwhile, continues to focus on strategic and targeted actions, countering misinformation with transparency and fact-based rebuttals.
(With ANI inputs)