PIB Fact Check debunks fake video claiming Pakistani strike on Amritsar military base

NEW DELHI: The Fact Check unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has exposed yet another misinformation campaign by Pakistan-based social media handles, which are trying to blatantly hijack the narrative and distract from the on-ground reality.

The Fact Check unit on Thursday debunked another fabricated narrative by the Pakistan side of conducting strikes on a military base in Amritsar, Punjab, asserting that the narrative was false and misleading.

The post shared by a Pakistani user named Shamil Jawani (@ShamilJawani1) alleged “numerous casualties” and “several critically injured” at the Amritsar base, using hashtags like #IndiaPakistanWar, #OperationSindoor, and #Pakistan.

The PIB Fact Check stamped the video as “FAKE” and issued a warning against the spread of unverified information, labelling it a “Pakistan Propaganda Alert”. The unit clarified that the video accompanying the claim is an old clip from a 2024 wildfire, unrelated to any military operation or strike.

The PIB urged the public to rely solely on official sources from the Government of India for accurate updates. “Pakistan-based handles are spreading old videos falsely alleging strikes on a military base in Amritsar. #PIBFactCheck: The video being shared is from a wildfire from 2024. Avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information,” the PIB stated in its post.

Pakistan Propaganda Alert!

Pakistan-based handles are spreading old videos falsely alleging strikes on a military base in Amritsar. #PIBFactCheck

The video being shared is from a wildfire from 2024

Avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official… pic.twitter.com/1FdtfXUqEY

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 8, 2025

The Pakistani side has jumped into a misinformation war against India following India’s precision missile strikes targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor. It shows Pakistan’s desperate attempt to shift the focus with a barrage of lies and digital theatrics.

Pakistan’s state-affiliated accounts have turned to their familiar playbook of recycling outdated images, misrepresenting old videos, and inventing completely fabricated claims to flood the information space with falsehoods so quickly and overwhelmingly that it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction.

One of the most prominent examples of Pakistan’s desperate attempt at such theatrics is the viral image falsely claiming that the Pakistan Army had shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur. The image, however, was debunked by PIB Fact Check, which confirmed that it was actually from a MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, in 2021 – entirely unrelated to current events. (ANI)