ISPR rejects Indian documentary as ‘propaganda’, says battlefield record cannot be rewritten

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday rejected an Indian documentary portraying Operation Sindoor as a military success, calling it a “highly dramatised” and “factually inaccurate” attempt to rewrite the events of the May 2025 conflict.

In a statement, the military’s media wing said the documentary used selectively edited interviews, emotional narration and cinematic Bollywood-style reconstruction to present a version of events aimed at creating a “domestically palatable” narrative.

“For its lack of nuance and seriousness, the documentary can be characterised as a tragedy and a comedy at the same time,” it stated.

The ISPR said the documentary contained what it described as fundamental contradictions, particularly over the timeline surrounding the Pahalgam incident and Operation Sindoor.

The statement questioned India’s claim that Operation Sindoor was carried out to punish those responsible for the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam incident. It noted that India later claimed the three alleged perpetrators were identified and killed on July 28 – 82 days after the launch of Operation Sindoor.

“If the alleged perpetrators were eliminated on July 28, India must explain who it claims to have punished on May 7, 2025,” the ISPR said.

The military also rejected the documentary’s claim of “100 percent mission success”, saying it was inconsistent with what it described as the operational record of the conflict.

It said Pakistan’s Armed Forces thwarted Indian aggression during what it called Marka-e-Haq and shot down eight Indian military aircraft.

The ISPR further said Pakistan subsequently conducted Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, targeting 26 military installations with precision-guided rockets and missiles, air-launched precision munitions, long-range loitering munitions and precision artillery.

The statement said the documentary’s own account undermined its portrayal of Indian military dominance by acknowledging Pakistani missile, drone and air activity, engagements along the Line of Control and the activation of Indian air-defence systems.

ISPR questions account of ceasefire

The military’s media wing also challenged the documentary’s portrayal of how hostilities ended.

It said the documentary itself acknowledged that the fighting stopped following communication between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India and an agreement to cease military action.

ISPR argued that this account contradicted any portrayal of Operation Sindoor as an unconditional or unilateral Indian victory. It also said the role of US facilitation in the cessation of hostilities could not subsequently be presented as evidence of an Indian military triumph.

The statement accused the documentary of presenting contradictory accounts of escalation, arguing that it simultaneously highlighted surprise attacks, precision strikes and escalation dominance while claiming India had deliberately limited the conflict and offered Pakistan an “exit window”.

‘Battlefield defeat cannot be turned into victory’

ISPR described the production as a “carefully constructed domestic narrative rather than an objective military account”.

“India has not declassified the truth. It has cobbled together a propaganda video to project a military blunder as a successful endeavour,” the statement said.

It added that cinematic reconstruction could not alter the chronology of events, aircraft losses, military casualties or the engagements that took place during the conflict.

“Pakistan has no need to manufacture a narrative around Marka-e-Haq,” the ISPR said, adding that the operational record, battlefield evidence, diplomatic exchanges and subsequent Indian statements “speak for themselves”.

The statement concluded by reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and stability while warning that its armed forces remained prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests.

The ISPR warned that any future military action against Pakistan would be met with a “firm, decisive and disproportionate response”.