Fact Check: Pro-Pakistan users share fake 'leaked' documents on Indian Army's retaliation plans

Addressing a closed-door meeting with the security chiefs on Tuesday, PM Modi said he has full confidence in the professional capabilities of the Indian armed forces and gave them complete operational freedom to decide on the “mode, targets and timing” of response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians, mostly tourists.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has warned of “Eent ka jawab, paththar se diya jayega” (tit-for-tat) in case India launches an attack on it. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Islamabad will not strike India first but will not shy away from exercising its right to retaliate.

Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to use its information war strategy against India. Several social media users from across the border have been sharing a dossier of alleged confidential documents claiming that it reveals the Indian Army’s readiness to retaliate against Pakistan. South Asian Perspective has shared these “leaked” documents on its X handle which was amplified by other users here and here.

The viral claim link is here and the archive link here.

Here’s the screenshot of the viral post.

Fact Check:

During the investigation, the Telugupost fact check team found the claim made in the viral post is false. A closer look at the documents revealed numerous spelling mistakes in it.

In the viral social media post, it has been alleged that the Indian Army’s preparedness shows it is not ready for major attack but will carry out only small-scale tactical skirmishes. It even falsely claimed that the soldier morale was low due to the “active role” of foreign soldiers, specifically Israelis.

We searched using appropriate keywords but found nothing about the alleged "leak" of confidential documents which expresses serious concerns about the Army’s capability. If such a document had been ‘leaked’, it would have been all over the internet.

As we continued our search, we found that the Indian government has pricked the bubble of fake news through its media communication arm, Press Information Bureau (PIB).

The fact check unit of PIB has debunked the claims and dismissed the “leaked” documents as fake. Taking to X, PIB Fact Check wrote that the pro-Pakistani social media handles are running this disinformation campaign that confidential documents related to the preparedness of the Indian Army have been leaked.

“This is clearly part of a conspiracy to discredit the Indian Armed Forces and create confusion among the public,” IANS reported quoting a senior official in the Ministry of Defence.

The PIB has appealed to the people and media organisations to avoid sharing unverified claims and requested them to rely on official government channels for accurate information.

It is pertinent to note that the cyber intelligence agencies are closely monitoring social media accounts which spread propaganda and baseless lies to sow distrust and panic at this crucial juncture.

Recently, the Government of India banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels with a total of 63 million subscribers in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

The ban has affected several digital platforms from the neighbouring country, which include YouTube channels of news outlets Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News and Suno News. YouTube channels of journalists Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema and Muneeb Farooq have also been banned.