Fact Check: Has Government Issued Advisory Amid 'Operation Sindoor? See PIB Response
PIB warned against a fake advisory, while urging all to rely only on official sources for any communication on Operation Sindoor.
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the Indian government has raised an alert over a surge in fake advisories and misinformation spreading online. Authorities have clarified that several messages circulating on social media, including advisories urging the public to stock up on essentials, are entirely false and not issued by any official source.
One widely shared piece of misinformation included a fabricated civil defence advisory, claiming that the situation along the India-Pakistan border was deteriorating. The false message encouraged people to remain calm while stockpiling food and medicines. The government has firmly denied issuing any such directive, warning citizens not to believe or act upon any such fake advisory.
The Press Information Bureau Fact Check team addressed the matter in a post on X.
“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, ” the PIB Fact Check post read.
Alongside such fake advisories, a wave of disinformation has also emerged, reportedly from Pakistan-based media outlets and government-linked social media accounts. Several narratives falsely alleged retaliatory strikes by Pakistan on Indian territory, including baseless claims that the Pakistan Air Force had bombed the Srinagar airbase and destroyed an Indian Army brigade headquarters.
The PIB Fact Check responded to these rumours as well, clarifying in another post, “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.”
Further refuting false reports, PIB stated, “Social media posts falsely claim that Pakistan destroyed Indian Brigade Headquarters. This claim is #FAKE.”
Another misleading claim involved an image of a crashed aircraft, which pro-Pakistan accounts claimed was brought down after Operation Sindoor. PIB Fact Check debunked this, clarifying, “An old image showing a crashed aircraft is being re-circulated by pro-Pakistan handles in various forms in the current context of #OperationSindoor. The image is from an earlier incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan, in September 2024.”
The Indian government has urged citizens to verify information only from official channels and avoid spreading unverified content, especially amid heightened tensions following the military operation.
Launched in the early hours of Wednesday, Operation Sindoor was India’s response to the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 people. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front, a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The military offensive on May 7 targeted terror camps across nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum and Chakwa.
According to various reports, the operation involved 24 precision missile strikes, killing at least 70 militants and injuring 60 more in just 25 minutes.
