India and Pakistan narrowly avoided full-scale war after cross-border airstrikes and a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir. But while diplomatic channels worked to de-escalate military tensions, a digital war was already underway. Social media platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube were inundated with doctored clips, misleading war footage, and AI-generated content. Footage from unrelated conflicts—like those in Gaza and Ukraine—were passed off as fresh evidence from the India-Pakistan front.
False claims of victory, exaggerated casualty numbers, and incendiary rhetoric were pushed by media outlets and anonymous accounts alike. According to AFP fact-checkers, even AI-altered videos featuring fake military announcements gained traction before being debunked.
Cyber Ops, Censorship, and Digital Retaliation
Both nations quickly moved to dominate the digital narrative. India ordered the blocking of over 8,000 social media accounts and banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels accused of spreading “provocative” content. Meanwhile, Pakistan lifted a year-long ban on X (formerly Twitter) on the day of the Indian airstrikes—seemingly to enable counter-narratives.
Pakistan’s cyber response unit (NCERT) issued a public alert about increasing cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns. Simultaneously, reports emerged of hacked social media accounts belonging to key Pakistani institutions, such as the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Karachi Port Trust, which falsely claimed Indian military involvement in port bombings—claims later disproven.
India, in turn, bolstered its digital countermeasures with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) refuting over 60 viral claims, especially around supposed Pakistani military successes.
The Human Cost of Digital Crossfire
Experts warn that the information war is amplifying offline hatred. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate documented 64 hate speech rallies in India between April 22 and May 2, triggered in part by misinformation surrounding the Pahalgam attack. Online hate speech has bled into real-world violence, especially targeting religious minorities.
Several online videos featured calls for economic boycotts of Muslims, stoking communal tensions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Activists like Raqib Hameed Naik and Usama Khilji fear that the escalation in misinformation is not just a byproduct of war—but a weapon itself.
Despite the ceasefire, the digital battle rages on. As Naik grimly observed, “The war machine may have paused, but the hate machinery never stops. I worry it might return with greater force.”
