ISLAMABAD: In the wake of the recent escalation between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident and the ensuing Indian attack on Pakistani civilians, several old videos have resurfaced online, falsely presented as depicting current events.
A fact-check by Geo News, which is available on its website, has debunked these misleading claims, clarifying that the circulated clips are unrelated to the recent incidents.
One widely shared video, purportedly showing Pakistani military action, is actually footage from Gaza recorded in November 2023.
Another clip, claimed to depict Indian airstrikes, originates from a 2022 incident in Syria.
According to Dawn.com, Indian propaganda accounts are circulating old images of Israeli strikes on Gaza and Lebanon, claiming them to be visuals from fresh Indian strikes on Sialkot.
An X account called ‘The Jaipur Dialogues’ shared an image of a city being bombarded with the caption “Sunrise in Sialkot”. The post had gained over 395,000 views as of 11:51 pm. The users did not share links to any news stories or official statements. The post has since been taken down, Dawn.com reported.
However, a reverse image search of the purported photo being used in the X posts confirmed the visual was from Gaza, not Sialkot.
#BREAKING : 🔥Pic of the Night 🔥
Sialkot under attack
स्वाहा 🇮🇳💪🏻#IndiaPakistanWar #IndiaPakistanTensions #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/705ph4qnzp— Akash Sharma (@Akashsharma4bjp) May 7, 2025
A similar brighter image, which displayed the same buildings, was used in an article dated May 19, 2021. The caption for the image said: “Smoke billows from a fire following Israeli airstrikes on multiple targets in Gaza City, early on May 16, 2021. (Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)”
Additionally, another account shared the same image and wrote in the caption: “Sunrise in Sialkot … Guys, if possible, spread as much propaganda against Pakistan as you can, the way they do. If you find something viral, don’t fact-check it. Instead, share it. Attack them mentally too.”
Another image of a strike on Gaza was shared by accounts on X, posing it as an Indian strike on Sialkot. These posts had “pic of the night … Sialkot under attack” written in the captions.
These misrepresentations have contributed to misinformation amid the heightened tensions between the two nations.
The spread of such outdated and unrelated videos underscores the importance of verifying information before sharing, especially during sensitive periods of international conflict.
