Pahalgam terror attack fallout: Centre flags fake Army documents, misleading WhatsApp fund message

The central government on Monday flagged fake documents circulating on social media, which claimed to be related to the preparedness of the Indian Army amid the ongoing tensions with Pakistan in the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The PIB’s fact-check unit stated that the fake documents were shared in the name of Indian Army by pro-Pakistani handles.

Pro-Pakistan social media accounts are falsely claiming that confidential documents related to the preparedness of the #IndianArmy have been leaked#PIBFactCheck

These documents are #FAKE Please avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from pic.twitter.com/qRGdn8vUgr PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 28, 2025

The government also blocked a message doing the rounds on WhatsApp terming it as "misleading". The message talked about the contribution of one rupee every day for "modernisation of the Indian Army and for soldiers who are injured or martyred in the war zone".

The fact-check unit of PIB informed that the government has created the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (AFBCWF) to provide immediate financial assistance to families of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives or were injured during military operations. This fund supports the welfare of battle casualties and their families and is not for modernisation or purchasing weapons.

A WhatsApp message is going around claiming that government has opened a bank account for the modernization of the Indian Army.#PIBFactCheck This claim is MISLEADINGThe bank account mentioned in the message is NOT meant for modernization of Indian Army or for purchase pic.twitter.com/flm2vGe22G PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 27, 2025

The government has also blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating "false, provocative and communally sensitive content" about India and has also strongly objected to the BBC's reportage on the Pahalgam attack.

The government's move follows recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in the upper reaches of the Kashmir resort town in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. Besides, the Ministry of External Affairs will be monitoring reporting of the BBC, which termed terrorists as militants, officials said.

The YouTube channels blocked are Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama.