Operation Sindoor—Information dimension

Operation Sindoor, successfully undertaken by India under the leadership of Narendra Modi, has seen a series of calibrated punitive actions against Pakistan following the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

- SHASHI SHEKHAR VEMPATI

While news trickles in on the depth and breadth of India's strikes into Pakistan, an important aspect of Operation Sindoor is the information theatre that has manifested along several dimensions and characterised by a multitude of actors.

Preceding Operation Sindoor by more than a week and in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack, the misinformation campaign started by Pakistan first attempted to create a false narrative of the attack being a false flag operation.

While the claims found few takers, the prelude to Operation Sindoor also saw the terrorist outfit that originally claimed the attack try to clumsily retract its claim on the grounds of a laughable "internal audit".

Predictably the global media narratives on the Pahalgam attack saw a familiar pattern with outlet after outlet refusing to characterise the terrorist attack for what it was.

While some chose to cop out with labels such as "militants" and "gunmen", few others made a mockery of themselves calling the attack "bombings" and "firing" incidents.

The horrific manner in which adult males were singled out on the basis of religion was also given a free pass by much of the western media reminding us of their hypocrisy.

The several days leading up to Operation Sindoor saw a series of measures being taken by India, which shaped the dominant narratives within the information theatre.

From cancellation of visas to snapping almost all forms of trade and transit links, these measures set the tone for a period of speculation over when and how India would act with the Uri and Balakot precedents being often cited.

The speculative mindgames over likely India action took its toll on Pakistan with a series of misstatements by current and former Pakistani leaders, including admitting to the use of Jihadist terrorism over the decades.