In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistani social media has become a hub of misinformation, coordinated propaganda, and unsettling ridicule. From mocking victims and Indian soldiers to blaming the attack on Prime Minister Modi, Pakistani users have launched a campaign on the platform X portraying the incident as a fabrication by India.
The hashtags initiated by Pakistanis tell this story: #IndianFalseFlag, #PahalgamDramaExposed, #ModiExposed, #IndiaFalseFlagExposed, #IndiaFalseFlagKing, and #IndianMediaExposed. All these hashtags, trending with thousands of posts, aim to assert that the attack is a conspiracy to defame Pakistan.
Source: aajtak
Remarkably, Tuesday night at around 9:00 PM, the primary hashtag #IndianFalseFlag began trending, swiftly becoming the top trend on Pakistan's X timeline with over 14,000 posts. Surprisingly, this trend appears largely manufactured as all posts originated from merely a few thousand users within 16 hours.
Through social media analytics, India Today's OSINT team discovered that more than 75% of these posts came from accounts featuring Pakistan in their bio.
Mocking Victims, Soldiers, Prime Minister, and Media
One of the most disturbing elements of this propaganda campaign was the spread of AI-generated videos, transforming sensitive images. In one, a grieving woman beside a deceased victim was coupled with a celebratory dance sequence. Another AI-generated video showcased an altered image of Prime Minister Modi, allegedly bounded by chains worn by people in Pakistani police uniforms.
The Pakistani propaganda machinery not only mocks this heinous attack as a drama but also blames the Indian Prime Minister. Over the past 48 hours, more than 45,000 posts aimed at the Indian Prime Minister flooded Pakistan's X platform, many accompanied by the hashtag #ModiExposed.
The defamation campaign didn't remain confined to political figures. Indian media outlets covering the attack and exposing the involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists also came under attack. Pakistani handles used the hashtag #IndianMediaExposed to malign Indian journalists and news channels.
The Indian soldiers involved in the rescue operations were targeted as well, with some posts falsely accusing them of focusing on shooting reels rather than saving lives.
Coordinated Propaganda
A viral post from the handle @Pakistanipeeps, using the #IndianFalseFlag hashtag 16 times, shared a poster declaring, “Pakistan refutes Indian propaganda.”
Source: aajtak
The poster, created by Islamabad-based digital media site “Azad Urdu,” was shared over 90 times, stating in Urdu, “Pakistanis reject Indian disinformation.”
Several accounts encouraged the trend, with one post requesting, “I urge every patriotic Pakistani to write this hashtag in the comments.”
Most users promoting the disinformation trend were linked to accounts posting pro-Pakistan or Sharif government support statements.
Source: aajtak
Disinformation
Pakistan has turned to misinformation as another strategy to distort statements regarding the Pahalgam attack. Some accounts claimed this incident was a “drama” orchestrated by India, allegedly inspired by recent statements from Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir.
An account named @Polpropaganda0, often promoting state-supportive statements, shared a post saying, “General's unequivocal statement on Kashmir has rattled India. The current drama is a result of this agitation. Aggression against Pakistan will be met with a response on their own turf.”
A former member of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) further spread misinformation, alleging that India will soon accuse “imprisoned Pakistanis” for the attack in front of the media.
