The War That Happened Only Online: How Pakistan Used AI To Fight A War It Never Fought At Sea | World News

During and after India’s Operation Sindoor, a rather unusual pattern emerged in South Asia’s information landscape. Instead of showing new warships, missiles, or actual battlefield results, Pakistani-affiliated networks began airing something entirely different: AI-generated audio, manipulated videos, and entirely synthetic clips designed to confuse viewers and distort the story of the conflict.

Fact-checking organizations in India, including PIB Fact Check, BOOM, Newschecker and Vishvas News, have documented a massive increase in the number of artificial, altered or outright fabricated media circulating online. Much of this content targeted Indian military leaders, misrepresented Indian operations, or pretended to show dramatic events that never occurred. The size and speed of these deepfakes marked a major shift in Pakistan’s approach to psychological warfare. The message was clear. Pakistan’s “new weapons” did not come from its navy or missile program. They came from the digital propaganda ecosystem.

A Wave of AI-Driven Content

Verifiers noticed that the number of manipulated clips increased sharply during Operation Sindoor. What was previously considered simple misinformation – mislabeled photos or old footage reused with new captions – has evolved into much more sophisticated hoaxes. Voice recordings were altered using voice cloning tools. The videos were manipulated to change the statements of Indian military officers. Some clips were completely synthetic; It was created from scratch using artificial intelligence models that can produce realistic faces, lip movements and speech patterns. Many of these fake videos were first published by accounts affiliated with Pakistan-based networks and then amplified by large pages that often shared anti-India content. As these clips spread across mainstream social media timelines, casual users were often unable to tell what was real and what wasn’t. Operation Sindoor: A Turning Point in Artificial Intelligence Propaganda

Analysts who studied it concluded that Operation Sindoor was the moment when AI-driven manipulation became central to Pakistan’s information strategy. Instead of responding to India’s naval deployments with real military force, Pakistan responded with digital disruption.

Pakistan had no real operational footage to show, as its navy remained largely confined to Karachi and surrounding coastal waters. There were no images of combat at sea, no missile attacks, and no sign of any major fleet movement. Physical combat at sea barely took place.

However, a parallel war began on the Internet. The AI-generated clips showed imaginary attacks, purported confessions by Indian officers and dramatic “breaking news” videos disguised as television bulletins. All of these were false, but most were convincing enough to create confusion before being refuted.

Verifiers Trace Sources

Indian fact-checking teams worked around the clock as tensions escalated. Time and time again, they found that the most viral fake clips followed the same pattern; these came from accounts linked to Pakistan; they were using AI tools to manipulate faces, voices, or images; They were targeting Indian military establishments and were spreading rapidly through coordinated sharing networks.

Fact-checkers have repeatedly warned the public to be wary of “synthetic media,” a new category of visual misinformation that is not based on old images but creates entirely new events that never happened. This was not traditional propaganda. It was a digital fabrication powered by artificial intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence Is Replacing Military Capability

The key conclusion from the analysts was that Pakistan is relying heavily on AI-generated media because it has no real ability to showcase. The naval fleet was not at sea in any meaningful way. The missile program did not display the advanced features claimed by online supporters. His military stance did not match the dramatic stories circulating on social platforms.

Therefore, instead of proving its power on the water, Pakistan tried to project its power on the internet. Deepfake replaced footage of real operations. Synthetic voice replaced real military expressions. Real naval activities were replaced by fake visuals. In other words, AI has become the easiest, cheapest and fastest “weapon” that Pakistan can use to challenge India’s narrative.

This digital approach allowed Pakistan to create the appearance of action—strikes, clashes, and dramatic events—even when these did not occur in the real world. How Are These Fakes Misleading Viewers?

These videos manipulated by artificial intelligence do more than distort facts. They shape public opinion. A well-edited fake clip showing a senior Indian officer “admitting” to a failure can spread long before anyone realizes it is a fraud. A synthetic video showing a supposed attack at sea could fuel misplaced anger or panic.

Because social media rewards speed and emotion, fake content often spreads faster than real information. Once a fake video reaches enough people, it becomes difficult to fix it. Many viewers either miss the fix or don’t trust it.

This is why analysts consider these scams dangerous. These aren’t just online jokes; They are psychological tools that can influence how the public interprets a crisis. Digital Navy Instead of Real Navy

During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Navy operated safely in the Arabian Sea. However, the Pakistan Navy remained close to the port and showed no signs of difficulty with the Indian deployment. This imbalance has made it difficult for Pakistan to demonstrate power through real actions.

So instead he projected power through artificial images. It used AI tools, fake videos, and synthetic narratives to create the impression of effectiveness and talent. Pakistan has tried to appear aggressive and technologically advanced online, even though its actual navy is unprepared for a large-scale conflict at sea. This is why many analysts describe Pakistan’s digital propaganda ecosystem as a kind of “Social Media Navy”; is much more active on the internet than on the water.