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Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addresses the media on ‘Operation Sindoor’, in New Delhi on Saturday.
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India on Saturday de-bunked Pakistan’s claim that Indian Armed Forces were aiming missiles at civilian targets in Afghanistan and religious places in Pakistan. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri pointed out that India and Afghanistan are on good terms, while rubbishing allegations of attacking religious sites as “ludicrous”.
India has been steadily demolishing fake narratives and propaganda spread by the Pakistan state machinery.
Misri rebuffed Pakistani claims — of Afghanistan being targeted — “as frivolous” and a textbook example of their “broader propaganda and misinformation strategy”.
India sees attempts to drag Afghanistan as a desperate act to tarnish its global reputation, as also a cynical ploy to distract the world from Pakistan’s own well-documented history of aggression towards Afghan civilians and infrastructure.
“There is this, yet again, completely ludicrous claim that Indian missiles have hit Afghanistan. (A)totally frivolous allegation. And I only want to point out that Afghan people don’t need to be reminded about which country has on multiple occasions in just the last one-and-a-half years, targeted civilian population and civilian infrastructure in Afghanistan,” he said.
The Falsehood: Indian Missiles in Afghanistan
The Pakistani narrative alleges that Indian forces launched missile strikes on Afghan soil, implying deliberate hostility toward a neighbouring nation.
This claim, surfaced through state-backed channels in the neighbouring country and amplified by social media, lacks any verifiable details — no locations, no casualty reports, no imagery, and no corroboration from Afghan authorities or international observers.
The irony of Pakistan accusing India of attacking Afghanistan is stark.
Over the past 18 months alone, Pakistan has repeatedly targeted Afghan civilian populations and infrastructure, actions that have drawn condemnation from Afghan officials and human rights organisations.
Cross-border shelling, airstrikes, and support for insurgent groups have caused significant loss of life and property in Afghanistan, particularly in the border regions. These attacks, often justified under vague security pretexts, have strained Pakistan-Afghan relations and fuelled distrust.
In contrast, India’s engagement with Afghanistan has centered on humanitarian aid, infrastructure development, and capacity-building — efforts widely recognised as constructive and stabilising.
Earlier in January, Foreign Secretary Misri had a meeting with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai where the bureaucrat had conveyed India’s readiness to respond to the urgent developmental needs of the Afghan people. The two sides had also evaluated the ongoing Indian humanitarian assistance programmes.
Previously, India had dispatched several shipments consisting of 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 300 tonnes of medicines, 27 tonnes of earthquake relief aid, 40,000 litres of pesticides, 100 million polio doses, 1.5 million doses of COVID Vaccine, 11,000 units of hygiene kits for the drug de-addiction programme, 500 units of winter clothing and 1.2 tonnes of stationery kits, etc.
According to Misri, this fabricated story fits seamlessly into Pakistan’s pattern of misinformation, as seen in their recent false claims about destroying Indian military installations and infrastructure.
“Pakistani claims about activities that they have undertaken, continue to be heavy on lies, misinformation and propaganda. And on top of that, this is peddled by Pakistani state agencies. The claims that they have made about attacking and destroying various places, various military installations and facilities are completely false,” he said a
The Propaganda Playbook
Other falsehoods — such as claims of Indian attacks on Amritsar Sahib or the destruction of Indian military bases — have been debunked. Yet Pakistan persists in flooding the information space with lies to sow discord and erode trust.
“A tissue of lies” is being woven by Pakistan, Misri said.
Claims about an Air Force station in Punjab or Surat being destroyed by Pakistani attacks were false, as were claims about air defence systems being hit. Similar claims of outages in large sections of Indian critical infrastructure, power systems or cyber systems, being hit, attacked and destroyed “are completely false”.
“Pakistan continues with an execrable and wanton campaign of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, especially in the states of J&K and Punjab. There is also on its part a consistent attempt to sow discord between communities in India,” Misri said.
Published on May 10, 2025
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