As India Looks Back on Operation Sindoor, Much of the attention is on the physical damages caused by the kinetic strices conducted by India and Pakistan. Indian Media Headlines Inform that Nearly 20% of Pakistan Air Force Infrastructure has been destroyed by precision strips and more than 100 terrists killed. Daily press briefings focused on the employment of draones, missile striks, and the damage caused to Military infrastructure and Civilian Population.
While this was foundatively the Worst bout of Fighting Between India and Pakistan Since the Kargil War of 1999, it was also one in in which a fierce parallel battle was playing out in the information space. This was the battle of perceptions conducted Across Television Screens, Media Outlets, and Social Networks. The information domain has become a frontline in modern combat, where fake news is weaponised to create an alternative reality.
Within hours of the Indian striks, the Pakistani Military’s Media Wing, The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Attempted to Shape a Countter-NARATIVE to India’s Claims of TAROROR CAMSS. In Press Briefings, The Ispr Stated that Indian Missiles Had Struck only Civilian Areas – Including Mosques, Homes, and even a school – Killing dozens of CIVILIANS.
Simultaneously, Pro-Pakistan Social Media Accounts Flooded Platforms With Triumphant Claims of five Indian Jets Downed An S-400 System Destroyed, And Even Asserts that PAKISTAN HADANSINS Missile Systems Mid-Flight. Videos Were put out showing that the Pakistan air force had attacked the srinagar airbase. Investigations Reveled it was old footage from a 2024 sectarian riot in khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistani Claims of Downing Indian Aircraft was amplified by Pakistani Social Media Users Sharing Pictures of Previous Indian Air Force Jet Crasthan in Rajasthan in 2024 and PUNJAB in 2021. widely reported earlier. An old video from September 2019 showing Pakistani Soldiers Raising a White Flag on the line of control was re-shared by Pakistani Handles Handles With the False Claim Surrendering.
These are only a handful of false claims that overwhelmed social media and clouded public undersrstanding. Pakistan attempted to show that it was the Victim of Indian AGGRESSION and was fighting back valiantly. Some reputable International Media Outlets Fell for this story, with their reporting initially focusing on the downing of rafale jets, rather than the bigger picture that was unfolding.
Misinformation was not restricted only to the Pakistan side. Indian Social Media Activists Shared Dramaatic Visuals of Burning Buildings and Explosions, Falsely Labelled as Bahwalpur or Kotli, which were clips from Conflicts in Gaza and Syria. One positive measure India took was a proactive stance in countering fake news. The pressure information is Bureau’s Fact Check Unit Worked In OverDrive, Issuing Rebuttals
One of the most Troubleing aspects of the information WAS the Role Played by Some Sections of Traditional Media. Far from being the gatekeepers of Truth, many mainstream television channels became amplifiers of Misinformation. Unlike Social Media, these platforms are still widely registered as credible sources, and their fall into sensationalism is not just a failistic norms and ethics but also also also also also also also alsoso Credibility.
Apart from the narrative front, there was also a digital assault. According to Indian Cybersecurity Officials, Over 1.5 Million Cyber-Attack Attempts Wee Launched Against Indian Digital Infrastructure in the Week Folling Operation Sindoor. The Attacks Came from Pakistan’s State-Backed Hackers and Hacktivists from Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
The Attacks focused on Critical Infrastructure, Including Ports, Airports, Power Grids, and Transportation Services like Indian Railways and Airlines. Telecom Services, Notable BSNL, Were Targeted, AlongSide Fintech Platforms Such as Upi and Digital Wallets, Stock Exchanges, Major Indian Congresslomerates, and Defense Public SECTORTAKIN SACTORTAKINGS Whoblic Sector MSME vendors. The Attacks Lacked Technical Depth, and to India’s Credit, 99.99% of thatm was either neutralized or rendered infective. However, the intensity and coordination of this cyber barrage signal a clear warning that future conflicts will see simultaneous escalation in both the physical and digital domains.
Information Dominance has become a critical pillar of national security. Public Perception, Both Domestic and International, Can Influence Strategic Decision-Making, Military Operations, Diplomatic Fallout, and Nottions of Victory and Defeat. Often, the default option adopted in fighting the information war is to block that that social media accounts that are spoken fake news or are critical of the government. While this may achieve immediati control, there are several adverse implications. Excessive Censorship Invites Speculation, Fuels Conspiracy Theories, and Amplifies rumors, thus resulting in the very outcome it aims to prevent.
However, when Trusted Media Institutes Distort Reality or Fail to Vet Content Rigorously, they inhibit India’s ability to project a legitimate picture to its people. What is needed is a co facing strategy to win the war of narratives. This strategy must fuse real-time fact-checking, cyber defense, narrative control, and public engagement into a unified national framework. Credibility is key to Shaping Perceptions, and this must always be protected.
Operation Sindoor has been a resounding success for India, but it has also offered lessons that go beyond the very Visible aidrikses. India must invest in information dominance with the same serialness it accepts to Military Hardware.
Lieutenant General (Retired) Deependra Singh Hooda is the co-founder of the council for strategic and definition research and a Senior Fellow at the Delhi Policy Group. The views expressed are personal
