Karachi:
Between the night of May 6 and 7, India thought that it had almost succeeded – if only for a moment. After more than two weeks of percussion of war hysteria through his media, New Delhi was ready to deliver a dose of Catharsis to his audience on Pahalgam.
With a title straight out of Bollywood, India launched “Operation Sindoor” and fired missiles in several cities in Pakistan and Azad Jammu-Cachemire. At least 31 civilians have been martyred and many more injured.
Something about these consecutive confirmations seemed to take something in the Psyche of the Modi government and its media servants. The last two weeks have already marked the most increased tensions between the two nations for decades. But what happened last night crossed the border in the surreal comic.
He started as harmless as anything in an atmosphere of thickness with an information war. Following a press briefing by DG Ispr LT Gen Ahmed Sharif – in which he said that Pakistan had succeeded in shooting down dozens of Israeli drones launched by India in several cities – several Indian social media accounts began to circulate in -depth video of Fight Fight for Indian aerial defenses.
But although doubtful manuals that toll a disinformation have long been a characteristic of the cross-border conflict in the digital age, at least one Indian television channel went further and has developed the tank images as an authentic declaration by the spokesperson for Pakistan in military chief.
Drawing on this prelude, the Indian media launched another salvo, saying that the Indian air defenses had shot a Pakistani F-16 on Indian airspace and captured its pilot. The personalities of the Indian media styled in blue have aroused “exclusives” that have never been materialized, while the marginal accounts with little credibility have circulated a misty and underexposed image that they swore showed the “pilot” in detention.
While the two claims collapsed in the absence of evidence, information emerged that India had imposed a power failure on the internet at the cashmere administered by the Indians, as well as a radical ban on social media accounts considered to be perforating its story. The X platform announced that India had ordered it to block more than 8,000 accounts – the orders said it was reluctantly, describing them as a “censorship” imposed by the government. Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of Defense issued an opinion asking the media and social media users to refrain from disseminating live coverage of defense operations or the security forces movement. Unconfirmed reports also suggested that Indian officials were invited to avoid interacting with the Western media.
With the firmly sealed echo room, the Indian news channels have entered overmultiplied with their Hindutva fantasies on Pakistan.
The anchors and panelists at times now, in full nationalist ecstasy, said that the Indian army had stormed the border and captured Lahore. Major Gaurav arda – channeling the energy of a television game host rather than a defense analyst – pleaded in difficulty for the Indian navy “jumps into the fray”.
If the navy missed the note of the note from Gaurav, Zee News certainly did not do it. His anchor said out of breath that the Indian Navy had destroyed the port of Karachi with “more than ten explosions”, announcing “nothing left” in Pakistan. “Reports arrive – there is a great explosion in Peshawar,” said a panelist, while painting a surreal image of dismantled Pakistan, City by City, under an implacable Indian firepower. “Their soldiers deserve one by one – their generals flee the country,” added another.
AAJ Tak, as if he was trying to surpass Zee News, has further increased the issues. Several explosions had reduced all the peshawar to dust, anchor said. “News filled with terror come from different cities in Pakistan,” she added, her voice rising on a score of war sirens-as if it told the trailer for an epic war film, without presenting a newsletter.
TV9 Bharatvarsh decided to get better. “Please add Quetta … Quetta to that!” exclaimed an anchor, more like what he issued a frantic plea than to read the news. “In the region that is Quetta, the Balochs attacked!” He said, before scoring “strategic points” where Indian forces would have caused a “major destruction” on a brilliant map behind him.
On Republic World, Arnab Goswami said that a massive explosion had been heard outside the “residence” of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while Indian forces were turning to Islamabad.
Zee News, so as not to be outdone, reported that the Pakistani army chief, General Asim Munir, had been arrested during a coup-while Pakistan Tehreek-E-insa was raised the mass demonstrations against Prime Minister Shehbaz.
Even Barkha Dutt – once a figure respected in Indian journalism – joined the frenzy. “Breaking – Our Navy has targeted the port of Karachi – as part of massive reprisals in response to Pakistani missiles and drones intended for several places in India, including Jammu airport,” she published on X, linking its dissemination. She had earlier shared articles on the supposed “capture” of a Pakistani pilot.
And so night continued.
