Subhanallah Mosque complex reconstruction: Ministry rejects Indian media claims

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday rejected as false an Indian media report claiming that the Subhanallah Mosque complex in Bahawalpur was being reconstructed with Rs250 million in state financing after being damaged during India’s “Operation Sindoor.”

In a fact-check issued by the ministry, it accused the Times of India of making an unsubstantiated claim regarding the reconstruction and its alleged financing, saying the report was neither evidence-based nor supported by independently verifiable facts.

The ministry described the report as part of what it called a continuing Indian media campaign to reshape the narrative surrounding Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s subsequent response during Marka-e-Haq.

It said similar attempts at narrative-building were evident in a recent Indian documentary on Operation Sindoor, which, according to the ministry, relied on “Bollywood-style reconstruction, selective editing and dramatized presentation” rather than presenting a transparent and independently verifiable account.

“The documentary and the recent media story are neither evidence-based nor supported by any real facts,” the ministry said, describing them as a “belated narrative-building exercise.”

The ministry further alleged that repeated circulation of unsupported intelligence claims, allegations and official messaging was aimed at influencing India’s domestic audience and offsetting what Pakistan describes as the setbacks suffered by India during the conflict.

It said the Times of India report reflected what it termed an established pattern of presenting unverified allegations as facts and subsequently constructing a predetermined narrative around them.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026