In an era where digital narratives have become just as powerful as military arsenals, the recent Indo-Pak conflict of 2025, named as The Operation Sandoor of India and The Operation Bunyan um Marsoos from Pakistan, has highlighted the growing importance of information warfare and consciousness. A responsible behavior of public of Pakistan and specially youth, on social media information front has undoubtedly settled a precedent for other war zones around the globe that this could be used as an effective, lesson-giving case study.
Pakistan has emerged as a responsible digital actor, exhibiting unity and restraint in countering Indian propaganda. X, formerly known as twitter, remained a main social media battlefield for youth from both sides, where the aggressive narratives and propaganda from opposite end of Pakistan were diffused with humor and credible spread of situation updates.
Pakistani social media users were quick to mobilize in defense of their country, coordinating hashtags and digital messaging that maintained not only a national conscience but also global perceptions. More than 45,000 tweets reportedly, were recorded in response to Indian narratives, many of them rooted in strategic cues such as air defense analysis and real-time footage verification. Pakistani users did not rush to judgment; instead, they waited for credible updates, demonstrating investigative discipline and responsible reporting. Interestingly, this situation is only about the 3 days of an on-ground military encounters. This shift was originally seen days before the situation escalated. Traditionally, the mere announcement of war or conflict would trigger a wave of anxiety across the country. Markets would become quieter, households tense, and media channels flooded with grim speculations and what not. For decades, this was the dynamic.
However, this time, before this proper escalation of situation, response from public, especially from youth of Pakistan, was an unconventional behavior towards war threats from India after Pehlgam mishap proceedings. Instead of panic, most of the Pakistanis met the looming threat with jokes, memes, and sharp-witted commentary. The X, especially bustled with humorous and sarcastic reactions of Gen Z over the abeyance of the Indus Water Treaty and a semi-formal announcement of war by India. This light-hearted, almost mocking digital stance marked a sharp deviation from Pakistan’s historical pattern of responding to war threats. This lack of panic helped inoculate the public against propaganda, encouraging a more grounded and rational approach.
Pakistan has emerged as a responsible digital actor, exhibiting unity and restraint in countering Indian propaganda.
Meanwhile, India, on the other hand, defaulted to its well-worn tactic of disinformation. Driven by the ideological ambition of regional hegemony and the dream of “Akhund Bharat,” Indian state, like non-state actors also usually practice, have often weaponized fake news as part of their hybrid warfare strategy previously too. From promoting false narratives during the Panjshir Valley events using video game footage, to resurrecting deceased academics in fabricated NGO conferences targeting Pakistan, Indian disinformation campaigns have repeatedly crossed ethical and factual lines. Report of The EU DisinfoLab’s investigations in 2019 and 2020 also exposed India’s systematic use of fake news, revealing over 250 anti-Pakistan websites across 65 countries. The campaign, linked to the Delhi-based Shrivastava Group and ANI (Asian News International), even manipulated entities tied to the UN and EU.
However, this time the situation reciprocated a bit. Indian Public itself became a victim of the propaganda driven by social media and mainstream media of India during confrontation days.
During the escalation, Indian news channels such as Times Now and India Today aired aggressive, war-driven narratives, often without substantiating their claims. In one notable incident, Republic TV broadcasted footage from a video game, presenting it as evidence of Pakistani military actions. The level of irresponsibility in delivering an un-verified update was even more uncovered when the memes posted from Pakistani users were broadcasted on live war transmissions.
Such actions not only led to raise questions on the credibility of unofficial yet fourth pillar of state, the media, but also raised concerns about the journalism and overall public conscience about the sensitivity of war like issues in India. The international community, including major media outlets like The Guardians and Reuters, has already begun to question India’s reliability as a source of credible information.
In contrast, defense analysts and global observers are commending Pakistani digital resilience. As India Today itself admitted, Pakistan’s online community successfully “disrupted the Indian narrative on a global scale.” This digital maturity reflects something deeper-a national consciousness that transcends political divides. Despite domestic turmoil and internal distrust toward certain institutions, Pakistanis stood united when it came to defending national sovereignty and integrity. The public’s careful scrutiny of unverified reports showed a vigilance and cautious faith-not blind faith, even in the military establishment, that Pakistan would only retaliate if provoked, rather than developing and spreading a sense of hateful narrative against enemy, leading to fiery emotions. The uncertainty over initial claims of an Indian strike did not fuel hysteria, but instead inspired a wave of responsible discourse online. This also reflected a collective conscience of institutions and public as a one nation of a sovereign state.
This sharp dichotomy in digital behaviors highlights a pivotal moment in South Asia’s information landscape. Where Pakistan showed unity, patience, and strategic communication, India exposed itself as a repeat offender of propaganda warfare. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that, if digital spaces are the new battlegrounds of modern geopolitics, then Pakistan, in this instance, stood tall as a disciplined digital soldier, with the additional revelation to the world that there exists a collective conscience of national integrity. While India fell victim to its own aggressive misinformation tactics, a lesson learned for future is of more worth to consider.
For the way forward, both Pakistan and Indian public should make the consciousness its strength. It is very important to recognize that real patriotism doesn’t mean blind acceptance of war narratives. It means fighting for peace, for truth, and for a future where the mistakes of the past are not endlessly repeated. Today, it seems that Pakistanis, particularly Gen Z are now far more aware of the devastating consequences of war. They have grown up witnessing wars in neighboring regions, consuming unfiltered images and stories online. The horrors of conflict are no longer abstract tales from history books; they are daily realities flashed across their timelines. And, on top of all that, something beautiful has been quietly building over the past few years – real human connections between Indians and Pakistanis through social media. From memes to music, art to activism, countless friendships and collaborations have flourished online. These bonds make the idea of “the enemy” increasingly difficult to accept.
Humorous and non-aggressive behavior proves that War, tension, fear – all of these are, in many ways, “Perceptions”. And Pakistan’s youth is showing that perceptions can indeed be changed – not with weapons, but with awareness, empathy, and humor.
With such attitudes and responses, if shown from both end, this Gen Z could play its role to protect both nations from the absurdity of repeating the same cycles that history has taught them to question.
And if there is no early possibility of conflicts resolution cross border, then, in the realm of digital warfare, this needs to be remembered that for playing a patriotism, responsibility, credibility, and unity win hearts and minds-not hashtags rooted in lies.
The writer is an international News Reporter and can be reached at [email protected]