Operation Sindoor: Faceoff the Chinese Media’s Misinformation

India’s Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, has drawn global attention for its calculated precision targeting of terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strikes, aimed at Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad hideouts, were positioned as a retaliatory yet preventive move grounded in verified intelligence.

While international media covered the operation’s strategic intent, Chinese state outlet Global Times attempted to distort the narrative. It published unrelated images of Indian Air Force crashes from 2021 and 2024, misrepresenting them as damage from the missile strikes. These misleading visuals were swiftly debunked by analysts and officials.

India’s embassy in China directly addressed the misinformation, publicly advising Global Times to fact-check and refrain from spreading baseless narratives. This response underscored India’s commitment to accurate reporting and challenged the wider disinformation ecosystem that includes pro-Pakistan social media handles echoing similar falsehoods.

The Ministry of Defence detailed that 24 missile strikes hit nine terror-linked locations including Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, and Rawalakot. Notably, the Indian military avoided Pakistani army facilities, focusing solely on non-state actors to minimize escalation and civilian harm.

India also drew attention to Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam massacre. India reminded the global community of TRF’s UN-designated terror status and Pakistan’s repeated attempts to shield it diplomatically, including efforts to remove TRF references from UN Security Council statements.

Operation Sindoor was carried out with discipline and restraint. Indian leadership reiterated that the operation was a necessary defence measure following diplomatic exhaustion and credible intelligence pointing to future threats.

Through official rebuttals and transparent communication, India demonstrated that modern warfare also involves countering narrative manipulation. Operation Sindoor was as much about eliminating terror as it was about asserting truth over propaganda.