New Delhi: The aftermath of India’s military strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir bases has seen the emergence of an online hero. As Operation Sindoor unfolded, fact-checker Mohammed Zubair emerged as the Chief of Information War of the night, separating fact from fiction and calling out old footage being rehashed and repurposed.
His all-night heroic effort on the frontlines of the disinformation war launched by Pakistan is being showered with praise. It’s a turn of events for the journalist who is perennially in the Right-wing propaganda machine’s line of fire. He’s debunked misinformation that has been shared by a slew of Pakistani propaganda accounts, as well as senior journalists like Hamid Mir.
“They’ve shown a lot of appreciation. But whenever I see fake news, I debunk it, regardless of religion and country,” Zubair told ThePrint. “They feel like I’m doing this for the first time, but I’ve been at it for years.”
The Alt News founder also said that in a deviation from the usual trend—90 per cent of the misinformation shared of the strikes, in which the Indian government has claimed to have exercised restraint—has been by Pakistani accounts.
On X, Zubair also shared a list of Pakistan accounts masquerading as Indian Armed Forces personnel. One such account is named Admiral Arun Prakash, whose bio reads: Former naval-person. Now naval-gazer. “India is in my blood,” another bio reads.
A third verified account describes itself as a proud Indian and “Congress supporter”. Hamid Mir has “amplified” the fake news shared by this propaganda account.
“Right after Operation Sindoor by our forces, bloody Pakistanis shoot down 1 rafale and 1 Su-30 near Akhnur. And destroyed our brigade HQ,” the post read. Mir called it a “confirmation of Pakistani claims from India.”
Zubair stepped in to set the record straight.
A number of the visuals being shared as proof of Pakistani retaliation are of older incidents. Several are also from Gaza.
“Some are from Gaza and Israel, and also older photos and incidents from India and Pakistan,” said Zubair, adding that some visuals doing the rounds have also been from Iran.
Up until 4 May, X had been banned in Pakistan. Following its restoration, social media has been rife with misinformation from the other side of the border.
“When we got to know from our sources that both propaganda and influential accounts are spreading misinformation, that’s when I started doing this,” Zubair said. “The algorithm helped me.”
He also added that in a previous chapter of the India-Pakistan stand-off—Pulwama and the retaliatory Balakot strike—misinformation was being spread by and large from both sides.
Indian X is also notorious for its propaganda and peddling of manufactured narratives, particularly during times of conflict. When it comes to Israel-Palestine, for instance, a lot of fake news has been churned out by Indian accounts, Zubair said.
Despite the abuse that is hurled at him, with many people also calling him a Pakistani on the regular, Zubair is currently in the Indian propaganda machine’s good books.
“I admire Modi because he is a nationalist and I’m now beginning to feel that I need to put you on the same pedestal,” wrote one user. His bio describes him as a “recent discoverer of the red pill”.
The red pill is an internet symbol for incels and men’s rights movements—who claim to be able to see through a cloud of lies propagated by liberals and democrats.
For Zubair, it’s just another day on the job.
“Today was huge. But this is not the first time,” he said.
The article appeared in the theprint