India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire following days of heightened military tensions that brought the nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of conflict. But even as the guns fall silent, a parallel battle continues to rage online, with misinformation and hate speech surging across social media platforms.
Footage and images misattributed to the recent hostilities have flooded Facebook and X, many of them falsely portraying attacks and victories. AFP fact-checkers revealed that several viral clips—purportedly showing strikes between the two nations—were actually taken from conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Some Indian and Pakistani media outlets have amplified unverified or misleading claims, contributing to growing confusion and deepening hostilities. Experts warn that this “communication war” is obscuring facts on the ground.
“It’s complicated to establish military facts… there’s a communication war going on,” said Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former French military envoy to the UN.
The latest escalation began after a deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, on the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir, which killed 26 people—mostly Hindu men. India blamed Pakistan for the incident, accusing it of harboring militant groups. Pakistan has denied involvement.
In response, India launched airstrikes on alleged “terrorist camps” inside Pakistan. In the immediate aftermath, the Pakistani military circulated a video clip that was later revealed to be footage from a 2023 Israeli airstrike in Gaza. The clip was widely shared before being retracted.
AI-generated content has added a new layer of complexity. One altered video claimed a Pakistani general admitted to losing two aircraft; fact-checkers traced it to a manipulated 2024 press conference.
“The availability of deepfake tools has made it easier for such content to spread quickly,” said Prof. Joyojeet Pal of the University of Michigan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan appears to have lifted a year-long ban on X during the strikes, aiming to “amplify the national voice,” according to digital rights activist Usama Khilji. The country’s cyber agency issued warnings over increased cyberattacks and misinformation. Government-linked accounts, including the Karachi Port Trust, were hacked, falsely claiming Indian attacks.
India has responded with a broad social media crackdown, ordering X to block over 8,000 accounts and banning several Pakistani YouTube channels. The Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit has refuted dozens of false claims, mostly about alleged Pakistani military successes.
Offline, hate speech has surged. The India Hate Lab recorded 64 hate speech events in 11 days, many shared online. Rallies led by far-right groups have targeted Muslims and Kashmiris, with slogans and calls for economic boycotts spreading rapidly.
While the ceasefire offers hope for de-escalation, experts warn that inflammatory rhetoric and online disinformation could reignite tensions.
“The war machine may have paused, but the hate machinery never stops,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, founder of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate. “I worry it might return with greater force.”
