Tensions are high after carried out strikes in and Pakistan-administered . India’s military said it used by militants, while Pakistan’s army said India had killed 26 civilians. This attack came days after India blamed Pakistan for the deadly in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region, which killed 26 people in a tourist hotspot.
As the between the two nuclear powers in two decades ramps up, misinformation on social media is spreading like wildfire. takes a look at some of the most viral video claims.
Claim: These videos allegedly show Indian missiles raining down on Pakistan and the aftermath of the bombing on the ground. The first video tagged with the hashtag “Operation Sindoor” has been viewed 5 million times at the time of publishing. The Indian military has given its missile strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir this name.
DW Fact check: False
These videos don’t show the current conflict and are taken out of context.
A reverse image search with a video still showing missiles in the night sky from the first video takes us to the same video that was first published over seven months ago. It shows Iranian missiles hitting Israel. What looks like an insert showing the location seen in the right corner is actually the logo of Indian broadcaster DD India, which published the video on October 1, 2024.
The second video that allegedly shows the impact on the ground in Pakistan was first posted three weeks ago in the context of Gaza. In the video, chaotic scenes show adults and children running around, covered in dust and carrying injured people. Children can be heard screaming, and people are speaking Arabic, which is not a native language of Pakistan.
Pakistan hails its defense for downing Indian fighter jets, but …
In this deep-rooted conflict, partisan misinformation is spread by both sides.
Claim: This presumably pro-Pakistan commentator claims to be posting about France-made Rafale fighters, used by the Indian Air Force, shot down during last night’s strike on Pakistan, near Bahawalpur.
DW Fact check: False
The picture attached to the post does show a French-designed aircraft. However, it is not a Rafale fighter but a Mirage 5. This type of assault jet was retrofitted for the Pakistan Air Force so that it could carry and deliver nuclear weapons.
The wreck shown in the X-post, according to India TV, Dawn and The Economic Times, had been a plane on a training mission in Punjab in South-Eastern Pakistan three weeks ago, on April 16. Both pilots got away with minor injuries after ejecting themselves, escaping the crash near Multan.
The historic region of Punjab was split in the mid of last century when the modern states of India, Pakistan, and, several decades later, Bangladesh emerged, following the subcontinent’s independence from the British Empire. Therefore, there are two Punjabs, one is a province in Pakistan, and the other a state in India.
Alleged Indian government critic lamenting death of wrong pilot
However, it wasn’t just Pakistani social media users posting out-of-context footage.
Claim: This X post with more than 2 million views, reads: “(….) Pakistanis shoots down 1 Rafale & 1 Su-30 near Akhnur! And destroyed our brigade HQ”. It was published on an X account whose owner refers to the Indian government as “the Modi regime” in another post and claims to be “Proud Indian” and to rate “Truth over propaganda” in his account description.
DW Fact check: False
In this case, the account is spreading misinformation, as two of the pictures attached to his posts are not related to the Indian strikes on Pakistan last night.
The upper right image does depict a Russian-built MiG-29 of the Indian Air Force, one of which Pakistan claims to have shot down last night. But DNA India and other media outlets published the same photo as early as September 2024. According to these sources, the fighter jet had crashed into uninhabited territory in the Indian state of Rajasthan during a routine flight, causing no other damage than the plane itself. The pilot reportedly ejected himself to safety.
The picture on the left also shows an IAF aircraft, but just like the previous two, it was not used in the strikes on Pakistan. Times Now reported more than a month ago that an Anglo-French Jaguar fighter jet plummeted in the Northern Indian state of Gujarat, showing the very same image.
Are gamers spreading footage from video games?
Claim: This video allegedly shows how Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet.
DW Fact check: Fake
Users online were quick to point out that this scene is from a video game, most likely from this one here. Compared to other footage at night, the video is suspiciously well-lit and has an overall artificial feel to it. Going through the video frame by frame, the unnatural pixelated lights are a hint that the video is fake.
It’s not the first time that video game footage has been used in conflicts. DW Fact check has reported on other cases in the past.
Edited by: Rachel Baig
The post Fact check: Misinformation spreads online after India strikes Pakistan appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
