India circulates AI-generated lies after Pahalgam false flag operation

(Web Desk): Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased after a deadly attack in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month. The attack took place in the popular tourist area of Pahalgam and killed 26 people. Along with the political fallout, there has also been a dangerous wave of fake news and edited content on Indian social and mainstream media.

Many social media posts have shared false information, confusing the public and creating more division. According to France 24 News, some of these posts have wrongly identified victims or shared events that never happened. One example is a video of a couple dancing in the Pahalgam valley. Some claimed it showed the final moments of Indian Army officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal and his wife before they were killed in the attack.

However, the couple in the video, Ashish and Yashika Sehrawat, said that the video had nothing to do with the attack. They explained on Instagram that the video was filmed a week earlier and just happened to be posted on the same day as the attack. To stop the spread of misinformation, they later deleted the video and shared proof of its date with AFP.

Along with fake videos, several AI-generated photos have also gone viral. These images falsely claim to show the victims and aftermath of the attack. France 24 News reported that one set of pictures showed dead bodies in the mountains. But experts found problems in the images, like strange facial features and unnatural body shapes. Some images even had the Meta AI logo, though many versions online had the logo cropped out.

Another set of AI-made photos showed a woman crying, said to be the widow of Lieutenant Narwal. These pictures had a strange, plastic-like look. Fact-checkers found that the images were not real, but had been created using artificial intelligence. They were based on a real photo used in Indian media, but had been heavily edited or completely re-created.

France 24 News said that these fake images and out-of-context videos are adding to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan. As more misinformation spreads online, it becomes harder for people to know what is true, especially after such a tragic event.