 "After Pahalgam terror attack, how social media has become a battleground of fake news")
The Pahalgam terror attack has sparked a flood of misinformation on social media. Posts with little or no veracity are getting viral, further stoking tensions between India and Pakistan.
Videos related to the Indian Army’s “attack” on Pakistan and vice versa have emerged on social media, falsely claiming they are related to the Pahalgam massacre. The Indian government has flagged several such posts fanning fake news online.
Let’s take a closer look.
Misinformation abounds social media
Social media is full of old images and videos that are being associated with the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
A video shows shelling with the claim that Pakistani military posts suffered heavy losses along the Line of Control (LoC). However, Press Trust of India’s (PTI) fact check unit found that the clip can be traced to May 2023. It displays security forces in Pakistan clashing with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters who were demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
As per an India Today report, Pakistani users on X inaccurately dismissed the Pahalgam terror attack as a “false flag” staged by India.
There were also AI-generated videos making rounds on the Pakistani social media mocking the tragedy of the Pahalgam victims. The clip of a grieving woman sitting beside her husband’s body was converted into a celebratory dance through AI.
Last week, a 26-year-old man was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police for allegedly posting a video and “falsely” claming that a Dalit named Hussain Shah, believed to be linked to the BJP’s IT wing in Jammu and Kashmir, has been arrested in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack and alleged links to a banned terrorist outfit.
Another viral claim on social media, which is being shared along with an image of a fire in the hills, is that the Pakistani Army destroyed two Indian checkpoints in the Leepa Valley of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to PTI’s fact check, the picture was of the 2025 wildfire in Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountain and not related to any military action.
A video, showing an explosion in the mountains, claimed that the Pakistan Army had wrecked an Indian Army post on the Indian side of the border. However, PTI found that the clip has existed online since 2020 and has nothing to do with the Pakistan Army’s attack along the LoC.
A purported post on X by senior Chinese diplomat Lijian Zhao threatening that China will block the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers flowing into India if it does not restore the Indus Waters Treaty gained traction on social media. However, the post is not from Zhao’s official account and has several discrepancies.
His last post on his official X account was on August 12, 2024. The viral screenshot is missing the number of views on the post and bookmarks, which X posts show. The fake post also mentioned “retweets” and “quote tweets”, instead of “reposts” and “quotes” that the social media platform now uses.
A video claimed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out surgical strikes on Indian civilians, leading to fatalities. However, as per PTI, the clip was from April 25 this year when a non-explosive drop tank accidentally fell from an IAF aircraft in Madhya Pradesh, damaging a house but causing no injuries.
Centre flags Pakistan’s propaganda
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has also fact-checked several viral claims on social media.
The nodal agency of the Central government said on Wednesday (April 30) that several pro-Pakistan social media accounts “falsely” claimed that Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar, the commander of the Northern Army, has been removed from his post after the Pahalgam incident.
This is not true as Lt Gen Kumar retired on April 30 and Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma has taken over as new chief of the Northern Army Command.
Several pro-Pakistan social media accounts falsely claim that Northern Commander Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar has been removed from his post after the Pahalgam incident#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 30, 2025
❌ The claims being made in these posts are #fake
✅ Lt. Gen MV Suchindra Kumar is attaining… pic.twitter.com/MogYJABl1Z
The government flagged another claim as fake on Tuesday that said that an Indian Rafale fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan along the LoC.
Pro-Pakistan social media accounts are falsely claiming that confidential documents related to the preparedness of the #IndianArmy have been leaked#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 28, 2025
❌ These documents are #FAKE
✅ Please avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from… pic.twitter.com/qRGdn8vUgr
Earlier, PIB brought attention to some documents being circulated online, which were claimed as “leaked” information on the preparedness of the Indian Army . It said these documents were “fake”.
PIB has also fact-checked several other posts going viral in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
With inputs from agencies
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