Ali Hamza
The modern battlespace is no longer centred on conventional warfighting means but is characterised by a combination of traditional military actions and non-traditional instruments such as cyberwarfare, lawfare, economic coercion, and, more importantly, information warfare (IW). This combination is described as hybrid warfare.
Within this framework, IW has particularly become a central battlespace. It is increasingly used to shape opinions and promote narratives at both the global and domestic levels, influence decision-makers, undermine the enemy from within by targeting state and societal institutions that sustain stability, and create uncertainty among the public, ultimately leading to an erosion of trust.
IW’s core components, such as propaganda, deception, perception-shaping, and influencing decision-making, have been practised alongside traditional military engagements throughout history. However, it was in the 20th Century when IW evolved into a more central and thus highly organised tool of warfare.
During World War I, governments realised that controlling information was essential not only for influencing the enemy but also for maintaining domestic morale during a prolonged conflict. This led to the systematic use of propaganda through posters, newspapers, and films to justify their cause and demonise opponents.
By the time of World War II, IW had become more sophisticated and was integrated into military planning. One notable example was Operation Fortitude, an Allied deception campaign designed to convince Nazi Germany that the D-Day invasion would occur at a different location.
During the Cold War, IW became an important feature of superpower competition, as it was deemed less risky than direct conflict in the presence of nuclear weapons. Both the US and the USSR relied heavily on propaganda to influence global opinion and disparage each other’s political and economic ideologies. This showed how IW had become an indispensable element of modern conflict and geopolitical rivalries.
In the current digital age, traditional conflicts are increasingly being augmented by hybrid warfare. Particularly, IW has become a decisive element, as states use fake news, disinformation and half-truths to undermine adversaries and build support at home and abroad. Today’s digital landscape enables information to circulate globally rapidly.
The rapid spread of social media platforms such as Facebook and X, along with advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), has significantly increased the speed and scale of information dissemination. As a result, influencing perceptions, shaping narratives, and controlling information flows have become as important as military victories on the battlefield, making IW a defining feature of contemporary conflict.
For instance, Israel has been carrying out genocide in Gaza and aggressive military actions across the region, hitting civilian targets such as schools, mosques, and hospitals. Israel defends its actions by creating false narratives, claiming it is only targeting military hideouts, without ever presenting any evidence to support such claims. To shape perceptions, Israel relies heavily on pro-Israel Western media outlets to project its military actions as acts of self-defence. By controlling the narrative, Israel tries to justify its actions while blatantly violating international laws.
The advancement of AI and the expansion of social media have also made it possible to challenge one-sided propaganda more effectively. Unlike earlier conflicts, information now flows in multiple directions, enabling journalists, activists and ordinary individuals to share real-time images and videos from conflict zones.
In the case of Gaza, the widespread circulation of visual evidence documenting large-scale destruction, human suffering and civilian casualties resulting from Israeli military operations has made it increasingly difficult to sustain a single, controlled narrative.
As a result, global audiences have become more sceptical of Israeli narratives. This shift illustrates how digital technologies are reshaping IW by not only facilitating propaganda but also empowering counter-narratives, making the contest over truth, perception, and legitimacy more intense than ever.
Similarly, India has increasingly utilised IW as a key instrument of its hybrid warfare strategy against Pakistan. Through traditional and social media, it seeks to shape negative perceptions of Pakistan at both domestic and international levels. Indian news channels and government-linked social media accounts have repeatedly spread disinformation and misleading narratives to shape public opinion and advance strategic objectives. This effort extends beyond media platforms.
A 2020 report by EU DisinfoLab exposed a network of more than 750 media outlets, NGOs and think tanks linked to a disinformation campaign aimed at influencing international opinion against Pakistan.
At the same time, India continues to commit human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir while restricting freedom of expression and access to international media, enabling pro-BJP outlets to dominate coverage and reinforce the state’s preferred narrative on the disputed territory.
The Four-Day War initiated by India against its nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan, in May 2025, provides a clear example of information warfare in practice. During the conflict, Indian media spread false claims about Pakistan, including the destruction of Karachi port and the capture of Lahore, using AI-generated content to shape public perception and exaggerate battlefield achievements.
However, this reliance on disinformation proved counterproductive, as many of these claims were challenged through evidence-based reporting, undermining the credibility of Indian media outlets and prompting both domestic and international audiences to question their reliability.
In contrast, Pakistan gained an advantage in the information domain by consistently presenting verifiable facts and evidence, demonstrating the importance of credibility in contemporary warfare.
Nevertheless, India continues to rely on its film industry as a tool for shaping public perception against Pakistan. For decades, Bollywood has produced films portraying Pakistan negatively and misleadingly, reinforcing anti-Pakistan narratives among Indian audience. Recent productions such as Dhurrandar reflect this trend through fictionalised stories and distorted portrayals that blur the line between entertainment and propaganda.
However, despite attempts to use the film for such messaging, it failed to gain acceptance outside India, facing a ban in several countries, including Gulf States, which highlighted the limited reach of such narratives beyond domestic audience. Over time, these portrayals have contributed to mistrust and hostility towards Pakistan while creating an information bubble in which one-sided narratives are readily accepted despite lacking a strong factual basis.
These examples illustrate how narratives have become a frontline of modern conflict alongside cyber-attacks, proxy warfare, covert operations, and psychological operations. In this evolving battlespace, credibility and the ability to counter disinformation have become critical sources of strategic advantage.
For Pakistan, the significance of IW is growing. The Four-Day War initiated by India demonstrated that, in modern conflicts, effective strategic communication and counter-disinformation strategies augment traditional military power to achieve objectives. While disinformation and fabricated news dominated the adversary’s narrative, Pakistan effectively countered them through evidence-based communication and calculated messaging.
This reinforced Pakistan’s credibility, strengthened its diplomatic standing, and enabled its emergence as a more confident and capable regional power. As IW continues to shape contemporary conflicts, Pakistan’s ability to expose false narratives, project its perspective with confidence, and leverage truth and credibility as strategic assets will remain an important source of national strength and influence.
The author is a Research Assistant at Center for International Strategic Studies Sindh (CISSS), Karachi, Pakistan.
