After 'Operation Sindoor', PIB flags fake advisory, calls for public vigilance

New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) In the wake of the Indian armed forces' successful 'Operation Sindoor', which targeted nine high-value terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the government's official fact-checking agency has flagged a fabricated advisory falsely attributed to the Centre.

The fake advisory claimed that citizens had been urged to remain calm and take precautionary steps such as storing non-perishable food, medicines, and keeping emergency contacts handy amid an escalating situation along the India-Pakistan border.

The advisory appeared to mirror civil defence protocols but was not issued by any official agency.

"An image of an advisory is being shared online, claiming that the government has urged individuals to take precautionary measures and keep essential items ready at home. This claim is FAKE. The government has not issued any such advisory," said the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check division in a post on X.

It further urged citizens to "trust only official government sources for credible information" and cautioned against forwarding or sharing unverified claims.

Alongside fake advisories, a broader flood of disinformation emerged from Pakistani media and government-linked social media handles in the hours after the operation.

Many of these platforms began circulating baseless narratives alleging retaliatory attacks by Pakistan on Indian soil -- including claims that the Pakistan Air Force had targeted Srinagar Airbase and destroyed an Indian Army Brigade Headquarters.

These false claims were widely spread by high-profile accounts affiliated with Pakistan's military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), but failed to present any credible evidence, visual proof, or satellite imagery to support the assertions.

"In a video shared by several pro-Pakistan handles, it is being falsely claimed that the Pakistan Air Force has targeted Srinagar airbase. The video shared is old and NOT from India. The video is from sectarian clashes that took place in the year 2024 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Rely only on official Government of India sources for authentic information," said PIB Fact Check in a separate post.

Another statement by the agency addressed a different viral falsehood: "Social media posts falsely claim that Pakistan destroyed Indian Brigade Headquarters. This claim is FAKE. Please avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information."

Fact-checkers and digital forensic teams found that several photos and videos shared to support the disinformation were either digitally manipulated or lifted from unrelated past incidents.

Despite the clear lack of authenticity, many of these claims were amplified by sections of the mainstream Pakistani media.

The Indian government has urged citizens and the media to rely solely on authenticated information issued by official sources.

--IANS

sd/