Fact Check: Viral Video on Pahalgam Attack Shows Fake Indian Army Soldier, Released From Pakistan
The viral video featuring a person in Indian Army fatigues and making false claims about the Pahalgam attack being staged is fake. It has originated from Pakistan and the person in the video has no connection with the Indian Armed Forces.
- By: Abhishek Parashar
- Published: Apr 25, 2025 at 05:26 PM
New Delhi (Visvas News). A video has gone viral on social media following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. It shows a man wearing Indian Army fatigues alleging the attack was “pre-planned” insider job, rather than an act of terror. The claim identifies him as “Indian Army soldier Ashok Kumar.”
Vishvas News found this claim to be fake in its investigation. The person in the video is not a soldier, and the video is part of a propaganda campaign from Pakistan, according to official sources.
It was originally shared by the now-deleted X handle @War_Analysts. The Indian Army has officially dismissed the video as “fake”, and confirmed that the featured individual has no connection with the Indian armed forces.
A similar video falsely claiming an Indian Army officer, Colonel Vijay Acharya, resigned following the deaths of 25 soldiers was previously circulated on social media. A fact-check by Vishvas News revealed that video was part of Pakistani propaganda. The investigation uncovered a fake claim originating from a proxy account that used the photograph of a retired army officer.
What is viral?
Social media user ‘the_haq_words’ (Akram Patel) shared this video (archive link ) with caption, “Indian Army soldier Ashok Kumar says what the media won’t say: Pahalgam is not what it is being shown. *Intelligence failed. Questions ignored. Are the public being fooled? *We already suspected this attack was the work of the BJP.”
Investigation
Upon performing a web search with relevant keywords, Vishvas News did not find any news reports mentioning a video from an Indian Army personnel. Official sources and news reports confirm that the terror attack in Pahalgam was carried out by The Resistance Front, an off-shoot of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba.
According a report in The Indian Express, “In January 2023, the Union Home Ministry declared The Resistance Front as a terrorist organisation.”
The person in the viral video is wearing the Indian Army’s old camouflage uniform. The army adopted a new uniform, which was unveiled during the Army Day Parade in 2022.
Many other news reports also mention the new uniform of the Indian Army.
According to an ET report, the Indian Army has applied for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for this new uniform with the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks Office and anticipates receiving them soon.
However, the army has extended the deadline for the use of the old uniform to June 2026, pushing it back from the initial deadline of June 2025. The existing stock of old uniforms will remain in use until June 2026.
There are many cuts in the viral video, which shows that it is edited.
Vishvas News contacted the Indian Army regarding the claim made in the video.
The Indian Army spokesperson confirmed that the video is “fake” and said that the person seen in it is not associated with the Indian Army. He also confirmed that the video is from Pakistan.
Digital forensics on the video yielded screenshots that were found on the profiles of many social media users. It was shared from the X handle named @War_Analysts .
However, this handle has now been deleted. After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, hashtags like PahalgamDramaExposed, IndianFalseFlagExposed and IndianMediaExposed were trending, in which Pakistani users were calling this attack ‘pre-planned’ or staged.
It’s important to note that 26 people died in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) that discussed multiple measures, including suspending the Indus Water Treaty (1960).
After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi reviewed the security preparations in Srinagar. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had visited Srinagar.
This isn’t the first instance of Pakistan spreading propaganda against India. Numerous similar cases involving anti-India propaganda from Pakistani sources have come to light earlier. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), in his article titled ‘The ‘missing’ muslim regiment: Without comprehensive rebuttal, Pakistani propaganda dupes the gullible across the board,’ identifies this issue as disinformation propagated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
We also found an article in the Indian Express newspaper. It mentions that Pakistan’s ISPR is waging an “information war” against India.
The user who shared the video on Instagram has around 25,000 followers.
Conclusion: The viral video featuring a person in Indian Army fatigues and making false claims about the Pahalgam attack being staged is fake. It has originated from Pakistan and the person in the video has no connection with the Indian Armed Forces.
- Claim Review : Pahalgam terror attacks were pre-planned: Indian Army soldier Ashok Kumar
- Claimed By : Facebook User Akram Patel)
- Fact Check : False
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