New Delhi, May 8: After India launched its most expansive cross-border strikes on terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, a flood of misinformation and false propaganda is being peddled from across the border by influencers, media, as well as government-sponsored social media handles.

The latest lie being peddled by Pakistani handles is the interception of an Indian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in Pakistan’s Gujranwala region and subsequently shot down by the Pakistan Army.

This comes a day after the Indian Army launched multiple cross-border strikes via niche weapons, including drones, missiles and guided bombs to dismantle terror networks and infrastructure.

Press Information Bureau (PIB), the government’s nodal agency for disseminating information, has fact-checked the fake and baseless narrative being spread by Pakistani handles, pertaining to the drone being intercepted in Gujaranwala.

“The image being circulated is from the Ukraine-Russia conflict in 2022,” informed the PIB on X and also shared a weblink to ascertain the source of the image.

Earlier in the day, the PIB debunked another false narrative by Pakistani media, which claimed that Pakistan has retaliated to Indian military strikes and in response, has hit a military base in Amritsar. A video of an inferno was also shared along with this to corroborate this claim.

The PIB was, however, quick to dig deep and expose the mischievous agenda of Pakistan.

The video was found to be of a wildfire.

“Pakistan-based handles are spreading old videos falsely alleging strikes on a military base in Amritsar. The video being shared is from a wildfire from 2024,” it said and also urged the public to rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information.

Several images and videos shared by Pakistani sources have been either digitally altered or lifted from unrelated incidents, often years old, and repurposed to suggest a fabricated narrative of retaliation and military prowess. Even influential political figures are sharing discredited material and making unsubstantiated claims of victorious counterstrikes.

India’s strikes inside the neighbouring nation have clearly left it rattled and agitated, however, India has maintained that they were ‘measured, calibrated and non-escalatory’.

Jaipur, May 8: A high alert has been issued in districts near the Rajasthan border following India’s airstrikes on nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. As a precautionary measure, all flight operations at Kishangarh and Jodhpur airports have been suspended until May 10.

Rajasthan shares a 1,037-km border with Pakistan, which has been sealed with the Border Security Force personnel maintaining high vigilance. The Indian Air Force is also on high alert.

All government and private schools, along with anganwadi centres in the border districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Sri Ganganagar have been declared closed until further notice.

The government employees in these areas have had their leaves cancelled and were instructed to remain at their headquarters.

The state authorities have called for heightened surveillance on social media platforms and reinforced security at sensitive locations.

Hospitals have been directed to maintain an adequate blood supply and life-saving medicines, while fire services remain on high alert to handle any emergencies.

The Home Department has instructed all District Collectors, especially those in border districts — Ganganagar, Bikaner, Phalodi, Jaisalmer, and Barmer — to maintain close coordination with the army and central agencies.

Key instructions issued include ensuring hospitals are equipped with life-saving medicines and sufficient blood supplies, identifying and preparing safe zones with backup power (generators) for emergencies, acting swiftly against any provocative content or misinformation on social media, monitoring food supplies, discouraging hoarding, and ensuring availability of essentials.

Fuel pumps have been asked to stock adequate quantities of petrol and diesel.

Directions to prepare evacuation plans for border villages in case of escalations and compiling a list of vulnerable locations, and strengthening security at these sites have also been issued.

In Jodhpur, District Collector Gaurav Agrawal announced late at night holidays for all government, private schools, colleges, anganwadi and coaching institutes. Also, exams to be held on May 8th have been postponed.

Barmer District Collector Tina Dabi has announced holidays for all government and private schools, anganwadis, and madrassas from May 8 in response to any emergency situation.

In Jaisalmer, District Collector Pratap Singh Nathawat has issued closure orders for all educational institutions. Additionally, a 4-hour blackout was imposed in Jaisalmer from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. on Thursday to enhance operational security.

Sri Ganganagar and Bikaner District Collectors Dr. Manju (Sri Ganganagar) and Namrata Vrishni (Bikaner) have announced school closures until further notice, citing heightened tensions along the border.

These precautionary steps have been taken as India prepares for potential retaliation from Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.

Jammu/Srinagar, May 8: Fifteen people, including a soldier, were killed and over 40 others injured in mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army on the Line of Control (LoC), which continued for the 14th consecutive day on Thursday.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement said, “During the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked fire using Small Arms and Artillery Guns across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor areas in J&K.

“Indian Army responded proportionately,” the statement mentioned.

Army’s Nagrota headquartered White Knight Corps said on X, “GOC and all ranks of #WhiteKnightCorps salute the supreme sacrifice of L/Nk Dinesh Kumar of 5 Fd Regt, who laid down his life on 07 May 25 during Pakistan Army shelling. We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians in #Poonch Sector.”

J&K administration has started shifting people from vulnerable areas along the LoC to safer places as tensions between the two countries reached a new high.

District hospitals in Poonch and Baramulla have received a large number of injured civilians, and special arrangements have been made at the government medical college hospital in Jammu to treat people needing specialised treatment.

All schools, colleges and other educational institutions have been closed in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Samba, Kathua and Baramulla, Kupwara and Gurez.

The Air Force has taken over Srinagar airport, and all civilian flight operations have been suspended till May 10.

The Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes at nine terror sites in Pakistan on Wednesday.

The MoD statement said that these precision strikes were carried out at terror sites — Shawai Nallah Camp, Muzaffarabad (PoK); Muridke (Pakistan); Sarjal camp, Sialkot (Pakistan); Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala (Bhimber, PoK); Markaz Abbas, Kotli (PoK); Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot (Pakistan); Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur (Pakistan); Syedna Bilal camp, Muzaffarabad (PoK); and Maskar Raheel Shahid Gulpur Camp, Kotli (PoK).

No military installation of Pakistan was targeted in Wednesday’s strikes by the Indian armed forces, as the strikes were non-escalatory and were carried out without crossing the LoC, India has said categorically..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave operational freedom to the armed forces to avenge the killings of 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists sponsored and aided by Pakistan on April 22 in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

The entire country was outraged by the cowardly act of terrorists. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his first reaction to Pahalgam killings that the terrorists, their handlers and backers would he chased and hunted down to the ends of the earth.

India announced a slew of measures against Pakistan, including the deportation of its nationals from Indian soil, closing of Attari-Wagah border crossing, throwing the Indus Water Treaty into abeyance, closing its airspace for Pakistani commercial flights and cancellation of all trade and cultural exchanges with Pakistan.

On Wednesday, India also closed the Kartarpur border crossing point on the international border in Punjab.

The decision to give operational freedom to the armed forces came after the PM had a series of meetings with the defence minister, national security advisor, chief of defence staff (CDS), and chiefs of the army, navy and the Air Force.

Meanwhile, to send a powerful message to terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers, security forces have demolished the houses of ten terrorists. On April 25, two houses belonging to Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh were demolished in the Tral and Bijbehara areas. Both these terrorists were part of the LeT terrorist group involved in the Pahalgam killings.

On April 28, the J&K Assembly unanimously condemned the dastardly terrorist attack and passed a resolution on this.