India-Pakistan Clashes: How Does Social Media Fuel the Conflict?

As tensions between Pakistan and India reach a boiling point, the already strained relationship between the two nations has sparked a flood of theories and misinformation online. Social media users have exploited the tit-for-tat attacks to spread viral but false narratives.

The wave of misleading posts began as early as April 22, when gunmen attacked a tourist site in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people and injuring dozens before fleeing the scene, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The incident triggered heightened diplomatic measures from both India and Pakistan, fueling fears of an all-out war between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Misbar has identified several widely circulated social media posts that amassed thousands of views, only to be exposed as fake.

AI-Generated Picture Claiming To Portray the Aftermath of the Pahalgam Attack

On April 26, Misbar's team investigated pictures that took social media by storm, showing dead bodies and injured people scattered across the ground, with police officers inspecting the scene. The pictures garnered more than 200,000 views.

Misbar's team examined the two pictures and discovered multiple unnatural details, such as oddly shaped faces, deformed bodies, twisted fingers, and weirdly shaped facial features, in addition to unnatural fumes rising from the grass.

Following the claims, multiple news outlets released on-ground footage from the attack on the Indian-controlled territory.

Strikes on Gaza Promoted as Indian Attacks on Pakistan

As tension continued to rise between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, a video circulated on social media claiming to show Indian missile strikes on various parts of Pakistan.

After running a reverse image search on some of the keyframes of the video, Misbar’s team found that the video to date back to October 2023 and showed Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, not Indian strikes on Pakistani targets.

Tensions between India and Pakistan increased dramatically after India initiated strikes on targets in Pakistan, claiming they were targeting terrorist sites. The strikes were in retaliation for the recent attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded by shooting down Indian jets, saying that the attacks killed civilians, including a young child.

Both sides exchanged heavy fire along the border, resulting in panic and evacuations. India named the mission "Operation Sindoor," and said it held symbolic importance, meanwhile, the Pakistani president described it as a declaration of war.

Outdated Image Falsely Linked to the India-Pakistan Clashes

Following the Indian strikes on Pakistan, the Pakistani government announced that it had shot down Indian jets, leading to a picture of a fighter jet engulfed in flames circulating on social media, with claims that it is another Rafale fighter jet shot down overnight.

The claim was later found to be misleading, as it dates back to September 2024, when an Indian Air Force MiG-29 crashed in Rajasthan.

The crash occurred during a routine night training mission when an Indian Air Force MiG-29 experienced a critical technical malfunction, forcing the pilot to eject, triggering a massive fire to engulf the Indian jet, according to NDTV.

Video Game Visuals Misinterpreted as Pakistani Jet Shot Down in India

A widely shared social media video claimed to show a Pakistani fighter plane being shot down by the Indian Air Force during what India called "Operation Sindoor."

However, Misbar investigated the footage, and it turned out to have been taken from Arma 3, a military simulation video game known for its hyper-realistic visuals.

The claim spread across the internet after Pakistan’s military announced that it had shot down 25 Indian drones that allegedly violated its airspace, as tensions between the two countries continued to escalate.

The drones, identified as Israeli-made Harop models, were said to have targeted key Pakistani cities, including Karachi and Lahore. One civilian was killed, and four Pakistani soldiers were injured during the incident. The military accused India of repeated airspace violations and warned of serious consequences.

Pakistani Retaliatory Strikes Against India

On May 10, the Pakistani military announced it had launched a counter-offensive against India in response to the Indian missiles fired at key military bases, including a base close to the capital, Islamabad, national broadcaster PTV reported.

As a result, Pakistan closed its airspace to all air traffic on Saturday, CNN reported, citing a Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson. The closure, which began at 3:15 a.m. local time, will apply to all civilian flights in the country until noon local time Saturday.

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