When the nation is at war with terrorists and their backers from across the border, every responsible citizen is like a soldier. Not just those in the border states, who are working closely with our armed forces and the state administrations, but even those in other parts of the country, can play a role in thwarting the adversary’s nefarious designs, which include a barrage of misinformation /disinformation and cyberattacks.
After Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 innocent tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, India responded militarily in a calibrated manner by demolishing terror infrastructure across the border. However, the continued aggression by the hostile neighbour had resulted in an escalation in tensions. While Operation Sindoor gave a befitting response to Pakistan’s provocative and escalatory actions of targeting civilians, citizens across the country need to be vigilant about propaganda warfare, especially using social media platforms, even after the announcement of the ceasefire.
In the last few days, many fake videos and messages have been circulated on social media with the intention to create confusion and panic. The Press Information Bureau (PIB), which has been working to debunk the psychological warfare by subjecting such videos to fact-checks, has cautioned that “a barrage of coordinated disinformation has been carried out by certain social media handles in general and mainstream media in particular in Pakistan with the sole objective to instill fear among Indian masses.”
PIB’s fact-check portal busts fake news, including that from the pro-Pakistan social media accounts. Its Twitter handle shows several old unrelated videos that were used to make false claims.
“Information warfare is a no-cost, invisible, malicious monster weapon that can inflict exorbitant damage on the fabric of any country. In times such as these, common citizens have a heightened responsibility as ‘Citizen Soldiers’. They are the only ones who can help the country win in Information warfare,” says Rajeev Jain, Former DG, PIB.
India’s resolute response to Pakistan’s misadventure has led the latter to resort to propaganda warfare to create discord. As Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri mentioned during his media briefing on the ongoing situation, Pakistan is desperately attempting to give a communal hue to the situation. As part of that attempt, it made preposterous allegations and false claims of India inflicting damage on its own Indian side and making it appear as if Pakistan was doing so. India has been consistently rebuking such claims.
Strategic experts familiar with wartime strategies caution citizens against believing unverified information on social media and ask them to rely on government briefings and other credible, trusted, and verified sources. Any false narratives that may threaten communal harmony or disturb peace must be rejected. Police are also monitoring online platforms to check the spread of malicious content.
Brigadier DM Purvimath (Retd) says that the responsible use of social media is important, as propaganda warfare needs to be negated, and citizens should refrain from circulating unverified messages.
That apart, citizens can also help authorities by informing them if they come across any suspicious movements of people or objects, especially near sensitive establishments. This has to be done responsibly and not to create confusion or target anyone, as that could prove counter-productive. Security at vital installations across the country, including Karnataka, has been beefed up. There is no need for panic. However, they need to be vigilant and keep abreast of instructions from the administration.
The Indian Air Force’s S-400 Sudarshan Chakra and other robust missile defence systems are effectively destroying incoming missiles and drones. But, when it comes to propaganda warfare intended to disturb internal peace and harmony, every responsible citizen is expected to be soldierlike. We need to consciously refrain from forwarding any unverified information that has the potential to disturb the peace and harm the social fabric in our country at all times, but particularly during sensitive times as now.