How to Win the War of Narratives in Times of Conflict

The information domain has become a frontline in modern combat, where fake news is weaponised to create an alternative reality. This has consequences for national security

- Deependra Singh Hooda

As India looks back on Operation Sindoor, much of the attention is on the physical damages caused by the kinetic strikes conducted by India and Pakistan. Indian media headlines inform that nearly 20% of Pakistan Air Force infrastructure has been destroyed by precision strikes and more than 100 terrorists killed. Daily press briefings focused on the employment of drones, missile strikes, and the damage caused to military infrastructure and civilian population.

While this was undoubtedly the worst bout of fighting between India and Pakistan since the Kargil War of 1999, it was also one in which a fierce parallel battle was playing out in the information space. This was the battle of perceptions conducted across television screens, media outlets, and social networks. The information domain has become a frontline in modern combat, where fake news is weaponised to create an alternative reality.

Within hours of the Indian strikes, the Pakistani military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), attempted to shape a counter-narrative to India's claims of targeting only terror camps. In press briefings, the ISPR stated that Indian missiles had struck only civilian areas—including mosques, homes, and even a school—killing dozens of civilians. Simultaneously, pro-Pakistan social media accounts flooded platforms with triumphant claims of five Indian jets downed an S-400 system destroyed, and even assertions that Pakistan had hacked Indian missile systems mid-flight. Videos were put out showing that the Pakistan Air Force had attacked the Srinagar airbase. Investigations revealed it was old footage from a 2024 sectarian riot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.