Muhammad Asim Saddiqi 
Media today serves as a potent platform that has transformed communications and engagements, enabling information to traverse borders and instantaneously impact global audiences. Over time, the interactive and widespread sharing of Electronic and Digital media has revolutionized the global information ecosystem. On April 22, 2025, Indian media platforms, reportedly under government’s directives, immediately attributed the attack to Pakistan within minutes of the occurrence of the incident, despite lacking concrete evidence to substantiate these claims.
Social Media campaigns including hashtags such as #PakSponsoredTerror, rapidly gained traction, amplified by coordinated accounts linked to Indian Political figures and intelligence agencies like RA&W. This digital mobilization was not merely about reporting the incident but aimed at politicizing the tragedy. The Indian media’s narrative went beyond targeting alleged terrorists; it was to create a psychological ascendancy among Muslim communities residing in India and Pakistan. Several prominent digital media networks used the term “Islamic Terrorist,” indicating a conflation of terrorism with religion, fostering Islamophobic sentiments. This rhetoric contributed to a surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes, including physical assaults and social boycotts to Muslims in various Indian states.
According to Reporters Without Borders, India has a vast media landscape with over 450 private electronic channels that are primarily operating on Current Affairs and 200 million TV-owning households. However, the coverage following the attack was marked by misinformation and sensationalism. Indian media failed to bring out constructive and factual information to its people. The madness of Godi media was at its peak when false information claiming the arrest of Political and Military Leadership of Pakistan, Indian attacks on major cities such as Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, attack near nuclear sites and downing of Pakistan Air Force aircraft was broadcasted. The jingoistic approach aimed at stirring nationalist fervour, undermining journalistic integrity.
An Indian Political Science Assistant Professor once said, “When we think of misinformation, we think of anonymous people, or bots online, where you never know what the actual source of information is, but during the time of escalation, matters on both sides were acute, the two nuclear armed countries were at the brink of full-scale war where consequences may have become enormous. It was unfortunate for Indian public to further believe on their media channels. Their media channels are not less than Bollywood fantasy movies where facts do not exist.
In another instance, Russian Chess Mate Grandmaster Garry Kasparov stated, “The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.” However, Indian journalist, thinkers and digital creators kept on promoting an ideology which led towards nothing but extremism and hatred. Such propaganda is known to have exhausted critical thinking while annihilating the truth. In an incident where voices are silenced, an Associate Professor at Ashoka University was detained by the authorities over a social media post. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, in his post, denounced BJP policies against Muslims while raising serious questions on Indian military briefings on Operation Sindoor.
The digital media environment also witnessed increased censorship and suppression of dissenting voices. Indian authorities blocked thousands of social media accounts, including prominent Pakistani journalists and independent Indian media outlets. The Modi led Government’s tightening grip on Free Media further exacerbated the problem. Media outlets and critical voices face intimidation and censorship. Biggest Indian media group NDTV was forced to sell and The Hindu had to retract reports contradicting the official narrative. This clampdown coupled with government advisories restricting live media coverage of defence operations, curtailed free expression and narrowed the space for critical journalism.
Hindudtva movement as its fundamental, India forgot that the world is no longer lingering in the year 1971, a time where Electronic Media and Information was controlled by authorities. This is 2025, an era of media autonomy where audiences have access to multiple sources and fact-checking mechanisms, challenging state-controlled narratives more effectively than in the past. International media fraternity as well as renowned watchdogs had been closely monitoring the escalation between Pakistan and India in the region. Media platforms turned into battlegrounds for competing narratives, with International media regulators and the global audience scrutinizing the misinformation and propaganda spread by the Indian media platforms. Indian Media hysteria’s role in the Pahalgam attack aftermath illustrates its dual-edged nature: while it enables rapid information dissemination and global engagement, it also facilitates the spread of misinformation, hate speech and state-driven propaganda. The Indian digital media’s handling of the incident reflects a broader trend of politicizing tragedy, suppressing dissent and leveraging Electronic and Digital platforms to shape public opinion in ways that exacerbate communal tensions and undermine journalistic standards.
The writer is a researcher based in Islamabad.
Muhammad Asim Saddiqi
