Nationalism Is Not A Forwarded Message

The first casualty of war is truth," goes an old saying. Nationalism is about loving our country and standing proud with our people. But today we live in a "post-truth" world where false information spreads faster than ever.

- TUSHAR V SHARMA

The first casualty of war is truth," goes an old saying. Nationalism is about loving our country and standing proud with our people. But today we live in a "post-truth" world where false information spreads faster than ever. Social media and messaging apps are flooded with news: some true, many fake. In such times, what does it mean to be a nationalist? It means supporting our nation with truth and vigilance. We must ask: if we forward every message that praises our side or bashes the other, are we helping our country, or could we be unknowingly spreading lies? True patriotism is not about blindly believing everything we read.

To understand nationalism in the age of misinformation, let's look at a recent example close to our hearts. In April 2025, terrorists attacked pilgrims in Pahalgam, killing 26 innocent people. In response, our forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking terrorist camps across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Every Indian felt proud of our Army's swift action. But what followed was not just military retaliation from Pakistan; it was an explosion of fake news on social media.

Within hours and days of the strikes, Pakistani social media handles started spreading false news claiming big victories against India. They pushed story after story on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, trying to show that Pakistan had struck back harder. In reality, many of these claims were completely fabricated. This was a coordinated effort to confuse people and shake our confidence. While our soldiers were fighting on the ground, another battle was raging online, a battle of information.

Some of the fake stories were so outrageous that they would be laughable if they weren't so dangerous. Here are a few examples of the misinformation spread during the event: