Pakistan’s Propaganda Machinery: Disinformation Campaign Against Indian Military Leaders Exposed

In the days following India's pledge to retaliate for the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan's state-backed propaganda apparatus has shifted into high gear. Since pro-Pakistan handles parroting Islamabad's talking points quickly lost their credibility after being called out for spreading misinformation, the country's mainstream media stepped in.

Established TV channels and their online offshoots launched an audacious misinformation campaign aimed at India's top military brass.

Fake news about Indian defence leadership is not the primetime fodder on television channels in Pakistan. Fabricated stories are not only targeting the top brass of the armed forces, but the narrative being used to launch these attacks is also feeding Pakistan's baseless claims that India itself orchestrated the terror attack.

While Indian authorities and independent outlets have quickly debunked the claims, the brazenness of this campaign raises serious concerns about the erosion of journalistic standards in Pakistan and the growing nexus between its media and military establishment.

A Campaign Built on Lies

Among the most outlandish claims circulated by Pakistani media and ISI-linked social accounts was the projection that Lieutenant General M.V. Suchindra Kumar of the Northern Command was "shunted out" for supposed security lapses.

This lie aired on television by PTV, Pakistan's biggest media organisation. The claims were made by a so-called security analyst. He did not cite his sources. He was not fact-checked by the anchor of the other panellists.

The fact of the matter, that Lt Gen. Kumar retired with honour on April 30 after a distinguished four-decade career, a transition that had been officially announced well in advance, was not even mentioned.

Another lie propagated by media channels like ARY News was that Lieutenant General D.S. Rana, Director General of India's Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), had been summarily "sacked" and sent to the colonial-era Kala Pani penal colony. In reality, he has been promoted and is set to take over as the Commander-in-Chief of the prestigious tri-services Andaman and Nicobar Command in June.

Then came GTV's "breaking news"- the falsehood surrounding Air Marshal S.P. Dharkar, with claims that he had been dismissed for "refusing to fight a war" against Pakistan. In fact, Air Marshal Dharkar concluded his tenure with full honours, paying homage at the National War Memorial, and was succeeded by Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari in a planned handover.

Each of these fabrications targets precisely those in key leadership roles dealing with intelligence, air operations, and border security. These lies came back to back and sought to solidify the talking points Pakistani military leaders and government officials are parroting every day.

India Hits Back

India's response was swift and coordinated. The Ministry of Defence (MoD), Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), and independent Indian media outlets issued fact-based rebuttals within hours, preventing the fake stories from gaining traction domestically. Moreover, under the Information Technology Rules 2021, several Pakistan-linked channels and accounts were blocked for circulating doctored videos and fake news.

Yet for many observers, this episode is more than a clash over facts-it is symptomatic of the insecurity gripping Pakistan's power centres. The timing of this campaign, following India's stern warnings in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre, suggests that Islamabad's ruling elite is scrambling to control the narrative in the face of mounting pressure.

Desperation Dressed as Dissent

From surgical strikes to Balakot and now Pahalgam, each time India signals intent to act decisively against terror emanating from Pakistani soil, the same pattern emerges: an orchestrated push to discredit India's military resolve. But this time, the desperate tone and the collapse of editorial integrity reveal a deeper anxiety in Islamabad's ruling echelons.

Pakistan's disinformation playbook may not be new, but the methods are becoming increasingly reckless-and the damage to its own media's credibility, is irreversible.

(Aritra Banerjee is a Defence & Security columnist)