When India launched Operation Sindoor after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, the Indian Armed Forces were thrust into a dual battle. On the one hand, soldiers carried out strikes against terrorist targets. On the other hand, a parallel fight emerged online, where Pakistani state-linked outlets and social media accounts circulated claims of destroyed airbases, downed drones and heavy civilian casualties.
The majority of these stories were quickly proven to be false—many videos were repurposed from unrelated events, while others were manipulated using digital tools. Indian officials countered the claims, and cyber specialists traced thousands of accounts back to Pakistan. Yet the scale and speed of the campaign offered a glimpse of how disinformation might accompany future conflicts.
For military planners in New Delhi, these lessons could shape the long-discussed move toward theatreisation of commands—the integration of Army, Air Force and Navy assets into unified structures. In such a framework, some believe, information warfare units might eventually sit alongside combat formations, giving commanders the ability to respond to falsehoods in near real-time.
The Army, which often finds itself at the centre of adversarial narratives in Kashmir, could be expected to play a leading role in such an approach. If theatre commands take shape as envisaged, analysts suggest they may not only combine land, air and maritime power but also develop a dedicated capacity to defend against digital misinformation.
For Kashmir, this linkage could have particular relevance. A lot of misinformation during Operation Sindoor was directed at audiences in the Valley, designed to instil fear and uncertainty. A theatreised structure might one day enable faster, more coordinated reassurance for local communities, complementing operations on the ground.
Globally, the idea of integrating information operations into joint commands is gaining traction. From Ukraine to the Middle East, militaries are recognising that controlling narratives may be as significant as holding terrain. India’s own path toward theatreisation is still unfolding, but Operation Sindoor has offered a timely reminder: the future battlefield will stretch well beyond mountains and rivers, reaching deep into the digital sphere and into the cognitive battle-space.
(Hailing from Kashmir and based in New Delhi, Mehak Farooq is a journalist specialising in defence and strategic affairs. Her work spans security, geopolitics, veterans’ welfare, foreign policy, and the evolving challenges of national and regional stability.)
