Just before dawn on May 7, calculated Indian airstrikes shook terrorist camps within Pakistan's territory. New Delhi emphasized the surgical accuracy of its mission across borders as Pakistani media and social influencers painted so different pictures, but chaos spilled on screens and timelines. What followed was not just a military position, but a digital onslaught, an organized campaign of disinformation and psychological warfare aimed at shaping global perceptions.
India's precision airstrikes aimed at dismantling the threat of impending fear have sparked an immediate propaganda war on Pakistan's social media. Indian officials stressed that the operation was exclusively aimed at non-state terrorist infrastructure, but Pakistan has accused India of being a civilian victim, reporting that a 15-year-old girl was killed and 29 people were injured when the school zone was attacked. These claims remain unconfirmed by independent observers.
Pakistani social platforms were quickly flooded with videos and images aimed at showing the aftermath of the strike. However, many have been found to be recycled or misleading, pointing to coordinated attempts to mislead the public and international community. FactChecker flagged some posts as misinformed, with content ranging from outdated images to completely unrelated footage.
One of the focuses of the campaign was the Indian Rafale fighter planes. In Pakistan, Rafales, considered a symbol of India's air superiority, has become the target of false claims. Despite the lack of reliable evidence, these jets were intercepted or fired down. The story appears to be designed to erode India's military edge and inflate Pakistan's defensive capabilities.
Pakistani media also launched anti-natural things against Indian news outlets, accusing them of exaggerating the success of the strike and spreading falsehoods about its scope. Pakistani commentators argued that India had missed valuable targets, attacked insignificant locations and attempted to reconstruct the event as a failed propaganda stunt by New Delhi.
Pakistan-based influencers further strengthened the information warfare and promoted the emotionally charged narrative of drone strikes in civilian zones. These posts highlight alleged attacks on schools and were created to frame India as a violation of international norms and human rights. Despite the fact that Indian drones have not been shot down, the social media post praised Pakistan's military response, claiming to have full control of its airspace.
India, meanwhile, argued that its purpose is limited. This is targeting terrorist groups rather than civilians or state infrastructure. Indian defence sources also dismissed the unverified Pakistani claims of retaliatory strikes on Indian territory, claiming that such attempts were hampered by air defense systems, including the S-400.
With tensions boiling down and no confirmed violations of India's airspace, the incident exposed its deepening reliance on digital PSY-Ops as a tool for modern conflict. Pakistan's social media blitz, which aims to provide domestic security and global sympathy, highlighted the broader pattern of using misinformation to compensate for strategic and technical gaps.