Fact-check exposes Indian media’s fabricated reports on Indo-Pak conflict

Several Indian media outlets have broadcast unverified and false claims during heightened military tensions between India and Pakistan on 8 May, according to independent digital journalism platform BOOM.

BOOM reports that their investigation found no evidence supporting the claims that India attacked and destroyed Karachi Port, captured Islamabad, and forced Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to surrender, as claimed by some mainstream Indian news channels.

The misinformation included reports that the Indian Navy ship INS Vikrant had attacked Karachi.

One viral message even incorrectly claimed that the ship had reached Lahore, a landlocked city. Soon after, several news channels aired similar false claims, with some broadcasting unrelated videos as supposed footage of the attack.

BOOM traced one widely circulated video to a January 2025 plane crash in Philadelphia, USA.

Zahrah Mazhar, deputy editor of Pakistan's Dawn.com, called the reports "outlandish."

She confirmed that Dawn's reporters and sources found no evidence of any naval strike on Karachi. The Karachi Port Trust also confirmed to BOOM that the port was functioning normally.

False reports also circulated suggesting Indian forces had captured Islamabad and struck the residence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with drones. Zee News went as far as to claim that Sharif had surrendered.

However, BOOM found no confirmation from Indian or Pakistani officials, nor did any international media report such developments.

Mazhar told BOOM, "We have been talking to our reporters in Islamabad since the strikes began on 7 May. There were no reports suggesting any such attack or surrender." She also confirmed that government sources and party members denied claims of the prime minister hiding in a bunker.

The misreporting extended further with claims of an internal coup in Pakistan's military.

Outlets such as Mathrubhumi, DNA, and OneIndia claimed that Pakistan's Army Chief, General Asim Munir, had resigned and was being replaced.

Zee News Telugu and ABP News also reported live that Munir had been detained. None of these claims were supported by verified sources.

BOOM stated that no credible evidence of a military coup or Munir's dismissal was found. Mazhar confirmed that Dawn's newsroom also found no indication of any such developments.

In another instance of misrepresentation, a video showing Israel's Iron Dome intercepting drones was broadcast as footage of Indian air defence intercepting drones over Jaisalmer.

While there were confirmed reports of explosions near Jaisalmer, the footage used by several channels did not relate to the incident.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) held a joint briefing with the armed forces but made no mention of a naval attack on Pakistan, drone strikes on the Pakistani prime minister's residence, or any military takeover. Neither side's official statements confirmed any such claims.

In the same briefing, the MEA accused Pakistan of using civilian aircraft as shields by keeping its airspace open during attacks, while Pakistan denied launching any drone strikes on India.

BOOM concluded that the reports aired by many Indian news outlets were not based on facts, lacked official confirmation, and contributed to the spread of misinformation during a sensitive time.