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Indian media claims about shooting down Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 jets, entering Pakistani territory, and arresting Pakistani pilots have been proven false.
On the night of May 08, Indian media claimed that its military forces had attacked and destroyed major Pakistani cities, including Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, and Sialkot.
They also claimed the Indian Navy destroyed Karachi Port – a report later debunked by live broadcasts from Pakistani channels at the site.
After Pakistani media reports revealed the ground reality, many Indian digital platforms began deleting their original posts that triggered backlash online, with Indian influencers and citizens openly criticizing the lack of journalistic responsibility.
Vishal Dayama, a Bengaluru-based director and writer, sarcastically texted in his social media channel that news bulletins should end with film-style credits for dialogue and screenplay.
Another popular Indian creator said, “If the news media tells me it is raining, I will look for my sunglasses,” mocking the trustworthiness of the coverage.
Popular Indian content creator Dhruv Rathee, who commands a following of over 25 million, took to social platform X to call out misinformation during the recent Indo-Pak tensions. Sharing a video of Major Gaurav Arya, he wrote: “Block these frauds from your Twitter accounts. Never watch these fake news channels again. Share with your family members also.”
Indian actress Tejasswi Prakash strongly criticized the country’s mainstream media in a post on X, accusing it of promoting propaganda instead of facts. She referred to a live broadcast where a correspondent was reporting that no Pakistani aircraft had entered Indian airspace, but was cut off mid-sentence by the anchor, who shifted the narrative to support Indian Prime Minister Modi.
“This is exactly why I don’t trust this Godi Media anymore. It’s not journalism—it’s scripted propaganda,” she wrote. Urging citizens to stay alert, she added, “Mere bhole bhaale deshvaasiyon, kripya jaag jao. Blind nationalism is not patriotism. Question what you’re being shown.”
Another Indian, Basant Maheshwari, on X (formerly Twitter) with over 315K followers posted, “I have NEVER deleted tweets, but today I am deleting all tweets that I made without verifying the claims of our Indian media channels. I feel sad not because of tweeting but more so because I (wrongly) believed what I saw!”
India’s Ministry of Defence also instructed all media outlets and digital platforms in a post on X to avoid live coverage of ongoing operations.
After the severe criticism online, Aaj Tak, one of India’s leading news channels, publicly apologized on-air for spreading “irresponsible and factually incorrect news” during tensions between Pakistan and India.
Editor at Times of Karachi
