Last night, as the general public struggled to make sense of developments between India and Pakistan, there was a slew of misinformation on media and social media.
Much of it happened on primetime news last night. Here are two major claims that were made – and the official government versions that counter them.
#1: ‘Fidayeen attack’ in Jammu
On Aaj Tak, senior executive editor Shweta Singh read out from her phone that a brigade in Kashmir was purportedly under a fidayeen attack – referring to a suicide attack. She didn’t offer up a source.
“Ek brigade par Kashmir ke ilake mai fidayeen attack bhi khabar aa rhi hai, jo ki chinta janak hai. Lekin unn antakiyon ka samna kiya jaa raha hai. Pakistan ke paas apne sainik, apne hathiyar to kam hi hain, lekin wo antankiyon ka istamal karta hai iss tarah ki cheezo ke liye,” she said. Loosely translated, she said the “terrorists are being confronted” and that Pakistan, having a dearth of weapons and soldiers, “uses terrorists for such things”.
Anchor Anjana Om Kashyap repeated the claim but with location details: “Rajouri mai fidayeen attack kar rahe hain.”
This was promptly fact-checked by the government’s Press Information Bureau, which cautioned the public “not fall for these false claims intended to mislead and cause confusion”.
#Fake_news is circulating about a "fidayeen" attack on an Army brigade in #Rajouri, #Jammu and #Kashmir.#PIBFactCheck:
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 8, 2025
▶️ No such #fidayeen or suicide attack has occurred on any army cantt.
⚠️ Do not fall for these false claims intended to #mislead and cause confusion. pic.twitter.com/x8Az5tigUO
#2: ‘Massive devastation’ in Islamabad and Lahore
Republic’s Arnab Goswami and Aaj Tak’s Singh and Kashyap said several times that India had launched a “massive attack” on Islamabad and Lahore.
Goswami said: “Massive devastation in Jammu. Sorry. Massive devastation in Lahore. I correct myself…The visuals are coming in not authenticated. So, I am not putting them out.” After a couple of minutes, he said, “Islamabad is badly hit. I am told Lahore is badly hit. Republic is breaking live.”
Goswami also said his channel had a “four-step” authentication process before broadcasting.
“We authenticate the visuals. We look at the visuals. We have four levels of authentication at Republic,” he said.
He also criticised The Hindu, which earlier this week deleted a tweet on three Indian jets purportedly crashing in Jammu and Kashmir. “We are not like The Hindu, the rag of a paper, that put all the pro-Pakistan thing and nearly apologised. I don’t know what shit Hindu does. It is terrible..They are not worthy of my time.”
On Aaj Tak, Kashyap and Singh said India has also launched a “massive attack” on Lahore and Islamabad.
None of the three anchors specified the nature of attacks and destruction.
There was no official confirmation of these developments. In a press release yesterday, the Ministry of Defence said Pakistan had “attempted to engage a number of military targets” in northern and western India, including 15 cities, “using drones and missiles”. These were “neutralised” and India later “targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan”.
Then in a tweet this morning, the Army said the Pakistan armed forces had “launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along entire Western Border” on the intervening night of May 8-9, and that Pakistan “resorted to numerous cease fire violations”.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Defence urged media channels, digital platforms and individuals to “refrain from live coverage or real-time reporting of defence operations and movement of security forces”.
“Disclosure of such sensitive or source-based information may jeopardize operational effectiveness and endanger lives,” it said in a post on X. The ministry said that only “periodic briefings by designated officials are permitted during anti-terror operations”, as per the Cable Television Network (Amendment) Rules.
All media channels, digital platforms and individuals are advised to refrain from live coverage or real-time reporting of defence operations and movement of security forces. Disclosure of such sensitive or source-based information may jeopardize operational effectiveness and…
— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) May 9, 2025
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