Unpacking Pakistan-India War Tensions “Online”

Since smartphones have become accessible to the common man, we have had to face countless analysts, journalists, and who-knows-what kind of people. Whether a person actually has information or not, whether they’ve done research or not, whether it’s their own opinion or just copied and pasted from somewhere else and presented as their own, no one pays attention to these things. The credibility of a statement now depends on the reach and engagement of the post.

In today’s era, the biggest warfare happens on X (formerly known as Twitter), where you can simply buy a blue tick and attach it to your account. So, if credibility (the blue tick) can be purchased, then what worth does a statement or information even hold anymore?  The algorithms are designed in such a way that if a person reads or engages with a post supporting a certain narrative, it will keep showing them more of the same content, reinforcing their existing beliefs. There’s no diversity left, a user gets stuck in an echo chamber, constantly exposed to the same opinions they frequently see on social media. As a result, they end up arguing and fighting with others based solely on that narrow perspective.

In the situation where Pakistan and India are locked in border tensions and both armies are attacking each other, staying out of the echo-chamber trap has become a really tough job. If you critically analyze social media, then since the night of May 7th, 2-3 clear-cut narratives are being pushed hard, obviously coming from India’s side out of jealousy after seeing Pakistan’s unity. And it’s every Pakistani’s duty not to blindly trust them but to demand evidence before believing anything. This isn’t the 1965 war or the 1971 war, this is 2025, and the game is completely different here.

The first propaganda being spread all over social media is that Pakistan’s claim of shooting down Indian jets is false. But there’s clear-cut evidence, photos, the numbers given by DG ISPR in his press conference (which are authentic and credible), and even an official document released by France confirming it. Even Indian media initially reported the same, but once this narrative started being pushed on social media, they conveniently backtracked. The whole world has seen and accepted the evidence. International media has reported it too. But enemies are using social media to create an echo chamber to break Pakistanis’ trust and push the false narrative that Pakistan didn’t shoot down that many jets. Just think, if Pakistan didn’t shoot them down, then why is Indian media so triggered? After all the attacks they carried out on May 7th, why have they suddenly gone silent? Obviously, it’s because they got a humiliating response. Otherwise, their way of celebrating would’ve been very different. But since things went the way they did, the whole world has witnessed Pakistan’s victory and strength.

Now look at the second propaganda Indian media is pushing – claiming they shot down Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder. Truth is all our jets returned safely to base. They’ve shown no real proof – just fake AI images that got exposed. Then they released photos of some random jet with a green/silver nose that looks nothing like our JF-17. Instead of checking facts, they created another echo-chamber to tell Indians “don’t worry, our army is strong too” – pure lies! Salute to Pakistanis who exposed this fraud with evidence and kept their spirits high!

On the night between May 7th and 8th, another propaganda was launched claiming heavy bombing and firing in Amritsar – while Pakistan made no such claim of responsibility. The narrative pushed was that Pakistan was behind it. Since Amritsar and Lahore are close by, Pakistani echo chambers started rumors that Lahore and Sialkot were under attack, while Indian circles spread that Pakistan had targeted Amritsar – both claims being false. The evidence being shown of bombings in Amritsar may be real, but Pakistan definitely wasn’t involved – this is likely another false flag operation, just like Pahalgam. And as for Lahore and Sialkot being in danger, local residents have confirmed everything is completely peaceful – no issues whatsoever. Total calm.

There have also been reports of cyber security threats and incidents allegedly carried out by Pakistan against India, but no official statements have been released regarding these claims. Until the government or DG ISPR confirms any such developments, we must remain cautious and avoid becoming part of propaganda campaigns. Instead, we should only accept well-researched, evidence-based information.

There are many other examples, but these are the major propaganda battles that Pakistanis must confront while keeping their perspective clear. In these critical times, it is our responsibility to trust only authentic and credible sources, not let social media influence weaken our morale. The notifications about a blackout between 10 PM and 5 AM on the night of May 7th-8th were initiatives taken by housing societies themselves, not any government directive. One must avoid panicking over such situations and ensure that whatever information being shared is verified and reliable. The time demands that the nation has to be united and morale should be at the highest and the do not let this new weapon of war win at any cost.