New Delhi’s latest press briefings on the Pahalgam attack confirm what many in Pakistan feared all along: facts will always arrive too late in the India-Pakistan conflict, long after the narrative has been weaponised. While Indian officials now admit to “ongoing investigations” and lack of conclusive forensic leads, their media machine had already handed down a verdict two weeks ago; one that named, tried, and punished Pakistan without a shred of evidence. Even today, hawks are busy sending a vicious message amid newsflashes of mock drills along the border. Since the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, India has engaged in not just a diplomatic offensive but an aggressive information war. Its immediate moves–diplomat expulsions, suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and calls for cross-border retaliation–were not based on investigative findings but driven by a high-decibel media campaign that played judge and executioner. This isn’t about denying the tragedy or sidestepping our regional obligations. Pakistan must and does stand against terrorism in all its forms. But the swiftness with which Indian newsrooms and state officials conflated the attack with Islamabad’s intent reflects a deeper crisis: Pakistan’s declining space in international discourse and Delhi’s growing monopoly over digital platforms, global media, and geopolitical sympathy. There may be signs of some sane voices emerging in the Indian bureaucracy; one walking back initial certainties, citing difficulty in tracing cell networks and awaiting DNA reports. But that damage is already done. Pakistani voices have been de-platformed, diplomatic space has been shrunk, and the cross-border information corridor has been shut down. There is an urgent lesson here. Pakistan cannot afford to remain reactive. Our strategy cannot begin and end with Foreign Office rebuttals or X threads from government accounts. In an age where perceptions shape policy faster than investigations, we need to invest in credible independent media, amplify regional expertise, and build leverage within international tech frameworks that currently silence us. At the same time, we must remain vigilant against internal suppression. A country that asks the world to hear its truth must not fear the voices within. *