Amidst the high tension between India and Pakistan as the former country carried out a strike on the latter on Wednesday morning, targeting the infrastructure used by militants. A flood of fake news and misleading videos from both sides took to social media platforms, escalating tensions and altering the public perception.
The most viral among them was a video of Iranian strikes on Israel, claiming it to be Indian missile attacks on Pakistan under “Operation Sindoor.” On the other hand, Pakistani users uploaded an image claiming that the Pakistan Army had shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur; the image, however, later on, as revealed by PIB fact check, was fake and misleading. It was actually from a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, 2021.
Another video that participated in the war of misleading information, this time the video claimed that the Indian raised a white flag and surrendered at Chora Post. The video was spread like wildfire and has not a single evidence backing it.
The online fake information war did not end here; a video showing the impact of Operation Sindoor on Pakistani ground showed adults and children running in a chaotic environment covered with dust and carrying injured people. The video was not at all related to the operation Sindhoor; it was of Gaza that had already surfaced on the internet a few weeks ago.
A video of US President Donald Trump was also added to the already lit fire of misinformation. The video falsely claimed his support for India, stating he would “erase Pakistan.”
In yet another video, a false claim was made that the Pakistan Air Force targeted the Srinagar airbase. However, in reality, the footage was of sectarian clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, which unfolded in 2024.
The flood of this fake information, news, and videos by reuploading unrelated videos and creating fabricated claims intensified the already existing tensions of the situation. With locals claiming them to be true, adding fret to their lifestyle.
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