Pakistanis unleash memes as it turns out the only thing ‘under attack’ is Indian media’s credibility
As tensions simmer between two nuclear-armed neighbours and propaganda soars, Pakistani social media users have taken a break from doomscrolling to do what they do best: memes.
Indian media, which has long blurred the line between primetime news and primetime drama, has given meme-makers a goldmine of content in just 24 hours — from boldly (and baselessly) claiming an “attack on the Karachi Port” to sharing images of Turkish military personnel and passing them off as “captured Pakistani pilots.”
Instead of giving in to anxiety, Pakistanis are weaponising sarcasm, unleashing a viral wave of hilarious, biting memes that are exposing absurdity with humour.
The Indian ‘jet’ spotted in Karachi
The ‘captured’ Pakistani pilot
The ‘destroyed’ Karachi port
Meanwhile Karachi…
There’s no telling what’ll happen to an Indian ship in Karachi
Maybe we’re oblivious?
Other ‘ports’ under attack
Three things to never do
In other news
Indian media being honest?
Some background
The drama began when Indian media and social media accounts started circulating a sensational claim: that Indian armed forces had launched an attack on the Karachi port and destroyed it. Fact-checkers quickly rained on their parade. Outlook India’s own FactCheck team debunked the post, revealing the image was actually from Gaza, published in a BBC article on February 24, 2020 during Israeli airstrikes. X’s own AI tool, Grok, also flagged the post as misleading.
Turns out, the only thing “under attack” was their credibility.
In another creative leap, Indian propaganda accounts published an image of a man near a downed aircraft, claiming he was a captured Pakistani pilot. But once again, internet sleuths were faster than fiction. A reverse image search revealed the image originated from Getty Images, dated December 12, 2016 — showing a Turkish F-16 crash in Diyarbakir.
Adding to the theatre, the Indian media alleged that Pakistan had launched surprise attacks on Pathankot, Jaisalmer, and Srinagar. This prompted a firm response from Pakistan’s Foreign Office, which categorically rejected the accusations as “baseless, politically motivated, and part of a reckless propaganda campaign.”
What’s become painfully clear is this: Indian media’s race to “break” news has left facts in the dust. From recycled war footage to misleading stock images, the pattern of disinformation is as theatrical as it is transparent.
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