In the aftermath of India’s precision airstrikes under Operation Sindoor, a wave of disinformation has emerged from Chinese and Pakistani sources, aiming to mislead global audiences and distort facts about the mission. Indian defence officials and media watchdogs have flagged a coordinated propaganda effort involving doctored images, fake news websites, and repurposed old footage to falsely claim Indian losses.
One of the most notable fabrications appeared under the guise of a fake international news outlet called “Israel Today.”The page, allegedly run from Pakistan, falsely claimed that the Pakistan Air Force had shot down 4 Indian fighter jets during the operation. The story was widely shared on social media before being flagged as fake.
Similarly, China’s state-affiliated Social media “China Daily” published a report claiming three Indian fighter jets had crashed. However, closer inspection revealed that the accompanying image was from a 2018 crash in Budgam, Kashmir, which had no relation to recent events. Experts believe this deliberate reuse of old visuals was intended to mislead the public and international observers.
Adding to the confusion, some Chinese social media users and commentators began suggesting that an Indian Rafale jet was shot down during the operation—despite official Indian confirmation that Rafale aircraft were not deployed in the mission. Analysts suggest this may have been a cover-up attempt for a possible J-16 fighter jet crash in China, which some unverified reports claim occurred around the same time.
“This disinformation campaign is part of a broader pattern where Chinese Communist propaganda and Pakistani Islamist networks work in tandem to spread anti-India narratives,” said a senior defence analyst in New Delhi.
“They’re using everything from fake websites to recycled crash photos to mislead their own populations and confuse the global audience.”
The Indian government has not officially responded to every instance of false reporting but has reiterated that all Indian pilots involved in Operation Sindoor are safe, and that no Indian aircraft were lost. Cybersecurity and media monitoring agencies have been tasked with tracking the spread of fake news and coordinating with international platforms to have the false content removed.
On same time India’s Notably, a report by The Hindu claimed that Pakistan had shot down an Indian jet during the operation. This content was subsequently picked up by Pakistani news channels and widely circulated. However, the Indian government urged action against The Hindu for spreading unverified information. In response, The Hindu issued a clarification stating:
“We have deleted an earlier post about Indian aircraft involved in Operation Sindoor. There is no such on-record official information from India. We therefore decided to remove the post from our platforms. We regret that it created confusion among our readers.”
This incident highlights the challenges of media credibility during times of heightened tensions. While some outlets have retracted false claims, others continue to propagate unverified information. For instance, Pakistan’s Express Tribune published a story alleging the downing of two Indian jets, accompanied by a photo of a crashed aircraft. However, a reverse image search revealed that the photo was from a 2016 incident unrelated to the recent events .
Similarly, The Dawn, a leading Pakistani newspaper, reported that the Pakistan Air Force had shot down two Indian aircraft. The accompanying image was identified as a 2015 crash of an Indian trainer aircraft in Odisha .
As tensions remain high, India is urging media houses and social platforms to verify sources rigorously and avoid becoming conduits for orchestrated disinformation.
