By Lucía Goñi
New Delhi, May 11 (EFE).—As guns fall silent along the border, a fierce digital war rages on between India and Pakistan, with waves of misinformation fueling public mistrust and muddying facts in the wake of the worst escalation in decades.
Despite a declared ceasefire following days of intense military exchanges, India and Pakistan remain locked in a second, quieter battle, one fought in the shadows of cyberspace.
Disinformation campaigns on social media and messaging platforms have become potent tools, blurring the line between propaganda and fact.
Crossfire of falsehoods Both nations have been accused of waging information warfare online. Doctored videos, recycled footage from old conflicts, and even clips from video games have gone viral, shaping distorted narratives that inflame tensions.
One widely shared video claiming to show an Indian fighter jet downed by Pakistani forces turned out to be from Syria in 2020.
Similarly, a dramatic image of a fireball over a city, touted as evidence of an Indian strike on Karachi, was later confirmed to be an Israeli air raid on Rafah in Gaza.
In some cases, official Pakistani s, including those of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Port of Karachi, were reportedly hacked and used to spread false information about attacks.
Media swept into the tide Traditional media in both countries have at times contributed to the confusion.
Pakistani outlets cited military sources in reporting an alleged Indian missile strike on Afghanistan, an event unconfirmed by Kabul.
In India, several TV channels and digital platforms issued retractions after sharing inaccurate or unverified images.
Even seasoned military analysts and prominent commentators have been forced to walk back claims based on simulation footage or outdated materials.
Countermeasures and censorship In response to the fake news deluge, India ramped up efforts to fact-check viral claims through the official ‘PIB Fact Check’ portal.
On May 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government asked platform X to block over 8,000 s accused of spreading misinformation, many of them reportedly linked to Pakistan.
X criticized the order as censorship and a threat to free expression, but ultimately complied within India’s legal framework.
Simultaneously, Indian authorities restricted access to major Pakistani media outlets, effectively silencing Islamabad’s version of events for Indian audiences and amplifying perceptions of New Delhi’s dominance.
Ceasefire on edge Though a fragile truce was announced Saturday, it is being tested by the continued spread of misleading content.
Within hours of the ceasefire’s confirmation, a verified Indian government accused Pakistan of circulating video game footage as authentic war content.
In this new era of hybrid warfare, where weaponized narratives rival physical weapons, the digital battlefield may prove just as volatile, and influential, as the front lines themselves. EFE
lgm-aa-sk
