On 29th April, around 9:00 PM, the hashtag #IndianFalseFlag surged to the top of Pakistan's X (formerly Twitter) trends, garnering over 14,000 posts in just 16 hours. However, a closer investigation by experts revealed that the trend appeared highly orchestrated, with over 75% of the posts originating from accounts listing Pakistan as their location.

The campaign, which mocked the Pahalgam terror attack, took a disturbing turn with AI-generated content circulating online. One video converted a heart-wrenching image of a grieving woman into a dancing animation, while another depicted a manipulated image of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in chains, flanked by individuals in Pakistani police uniforms.

This propaganda drive targeted not only the Indian Prime Minister who was blamed for the attack but also mocked the victims and Indian armed forces. In just two days, more than 45,000 posts in Urdu attacking PM Modi flooded Pakistan's X space under the hashtag #ModiExposed. Indian media, especially outlets reporting on Pakistan-based terrorist involvement, were smeared using the tag #IndianMediaExposed. Even Indian Army personnel involved in the rescue mission were falsely accused of filming social media reels instead of helping victims.

A coordinated effort to amplify these narratives was evident. The handle @Pakistanipeeps posted content with the hashtag #IndianFalseFlag 16 times, sharing a poster by Islamabad-based "Azaad Urdu" claiming “Pakistan has denied the Indian propaganda.” This content was widely circulated with calls for patriotic users to promote the narrative further.

Many of the accounts involved in this campaign supported pro-Pakistan views and were affiliated with the Sharif government. Adding to the disinformation, some accounts claimed the entire Pahalgam incident was staged in reaction to recent statements by Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir. One user asserted, “India’s drama is a reaction to the General’s bold words on Kashmir,” suggesting India was fabricating events out of fear. A former member of Imran Khan’s PTI also alleged that India might soon stage blame on imprisoned Pakistanis to frame the attack.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from India Today.