Outlook Business Desk
The Indian government has advised against sharing unverified information, urging people to rely only on official sources, as a flood of fake and unverified content over its border conflict with Pakistan spreads across social media and news reports.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on the night of May 8-9, with news reports pouring in from Kashmir and border areas affected by shelling and drone blitz.
A viral video claiming Pakistan launched a missile on India was identified as footage from a 2020 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Press Information Bureau's (PIB) Fact Check account said on X.
On social media a video was shared shared claiming a drone strike in Jalandhar, but it was later confirmed to be from an unrelated farm fire.
Pakistan-based accounts circulated old videos, including a 2019 IAF helicopter crash near Budgam and a 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict image, reports say.
A video claiming a Pakistani missile hit India’s S-400 system was from a fire at a Moscow military site in 2023, PIB said.
A social media post claimed India targeted Pakistan’s Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, which India’s Foreign Secretary confirmed was false.
A fabricated video of an Indian military strike on its own citizens using the Ambala Airbase was flagged by the Ministry of Defence.
The government urges the public to avoid fake news and consult trusted platforms like PIB Fact Check for accurate updates as reported by CNBC.