Pakistan uses edited clip of Indian wing commander Vyomika Singh in briefing to claim it ‘did not target civilians’

On May 11, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the director general of Pakistan’s inter-services public relations (ISPR), which is the PR wing of its armed forces, held a press briefing alongside chiefs of the country’s air force, navy and army. Alt News found that in this conference, clipped videos from an Indian defence forces press briefing were used misleadingly.

In the May 11 briefing, Pakistan claimed that it struck Indian military targets after India violated their airspace and air bases in early-morning strikes. For context, India had launched Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 6 and 7 as a series of military strikes to target terror bases in Pakistan. The Indian defence forces have repeatedly reiterated that the strikes were “measured”, “non-escalatory” and carried out with precision to only hit at sites of terror infrastructure; no civilians or military bases were targeted. However, shortly after, Pakistan hit back with heavy shelling along the Indian border areas, resulting in the deaths of civilians and damage to property.

However, in the May 11 briefing, Chaudhry explicitly said that the Pakistan armed forces engaged “military targets, along with facilities in India used to target Pakistani citizens and entities involved in fomenting terrorism in Pakistan”. To prove his point that only military posts and infrastructure were targeted and not civilians, Chaudhry used two clips from a May 10 briefing on Operation Sindoor by the Indian armed forces.

In the above clip, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Vyomika Singh gives a brief of the weaponry used by Pakistan in the shelling. While detailing the areas that suffered damage, she appears to say that Indian military posts were targeted. Her remarks do not mention civilians. Here’s what she said:

“Pakistani military continued with its provocations, carrying out aggressive actions employing multiple threat vectors all along the western border. Pakistan employed UCAV, drones, long-range weapons, loitering munitions and fighter aircrafts to target military infrastructure. Pakistan military also resorted to air intrusions using drones and firing of heavy-calibre weapons along the Line of Control… air intrusions and several harassment attacks were also attempted from Srinagar till Naliya at more than 26 locations… damage was sustained to equipment and personnel at Indian Air Force stations at Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj. There were also several high-speed missile attacks noticed with heavy damages to other military stations in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, and Akhnoor sectors continued. Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is reciprocated by the Pakistan Military.”

Towards the end of the clip, Indian Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi can be heard saying, “भारतीय सशस्त्र बल दोहराते हैं कि वे तनाव वृद्धि नहीं चाहते, बशर्ते पाकिस्तान भी ऐसा ही व्यवहार करे।” (Translation: The Indian Armed Forces reiterate that they do not want an escalation of tensions, provided Pakistan behaves similarly.)

After the above clip was shown, Chaudhry tells the press gathered there that even the Indian forces acknowledged that Pakistan only targeted military installations and nothing else, definitely not civilians.

“Did you find…from the Indian statements… did Pakistan attack anything other than military targets? No. Did any international media or even Indian media… what are they reporting? ‘Precise targeting of the military installations…posts.’ We told you that we don’t target civilians…our religion does not allow us, our culture does not allow us, our professionalism of the armed forces doesn’t allow us. We will never target civilians. They are even acknowledging that..” he said.

Below is the full video of the press conference.

Did IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh ‘Acknowledge’ Such a Thing?

The short answer is no. Alt News found that IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh’s full statements from the May 10 special briefing on Operation Sindoor had been clipped and edited to make it seem like she said what Chaudhry claimed. Vyomika Singh did not say that.

The May 10 briefing by the ministry of external affairs and defence forces was a formal update on Pakistan’s escalatory and provocative pattern of attack. Note that hours after this briefing, the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire.

The clip below shows exactly what Singh said in her update.

The IAF officer clearly says that the Pakistani military targeted civilian areas and military infrastructure. Throughout the briefing, she emphasised the Pakistan had targeted civilian infrastructure, including medicare centres and school premises, at the air bases of Srinagar, Awantipora and Udhampur. She further said that Pakistan attempted multiple air intrusions using drones and conducted shelling using heavy-calibre RT guns, targeting civilian infrastructure and killing civilians.

Her exact words were “Pakistan employed UCAV, drones, long-range weapons, loitering munitions and fighter aircrafts to target civilian areas and military infrastructure.” But in the May 11 briefing by Pakistan, the words “civilian areas” were dropped from her address to make it seem like she said: “Pakistan employed UCAV, drones, long-range weapons, loitering munitions and fighter aircrafts to target military infrastructure.”

Alt News also cross-checked this with a transcript of the briefing by the Indian ministry of external affairs.

Several of Singh’s Remarks Distorted

Surprisingly, this was not the only instance. Alt News found that several statements by Singh were taken out of context and shown to the press, creating misleading narratives regarding what the Indian side actually said.

For instance, the clip of Singh shown in the tri-services press conference on May 11 made it seem like she said that damage was sustained to equipment and personnel at Indian Air Force stations at Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj.

However, what she actually said was that Indian armed forces were able to neutralise air intrusions and several harassment attacks that were attempted by Pakistani forces from Srinagar till Naliya at more than 26 locations and that limited damage was sustained to equipment and personnel at Indian Air Force stations at Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj.

A third instance of manipulation was showing Singh as saying there were high-speed missile attacks that caused heavy damage to other military stations in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, and Akhnoor sectors.

In reality, Singh said that high-speed missile attacks were noticed at air bases in Punjab. Before adding that there was heavy exchange of artillery mortars and small-arm fire in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri and Akhnoor sectors, she mentioned that Pakistan was targeting civilian infrastructure and killing civilians. The bit about civilians was conveniently removed.

Thus, statements attributed to IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh were selectively edited and presented to manipulate what she actually said; a likely bid to portray Pakistan in a positive light and claim that no Indian civilians were targeted or hurt.

The Targeting of Indian Civilians

The defence ministry has said that Pakistan tried to target multiple military installations along the West and at least 16 people, including three women and five children, have been killed due to firing by Pakistan. These figures were released on May 8, so the number of casualties may be higher now, considering that the border areas witnessed continued shelling. According to a report by BBC, at least 21 civilians have died since the launch of Operation Sindoor, while the armed forces lost five officers.

Among those killed were 12-year-old twins Zain Ali and Urwah Fatima. They died as shells were lobbed near the rented house in Pooch, Jammu and Kashmir.  Their father, Rameez Khan, 48, continues to fight for life. He was critically injured in the firing on May 7 after Pakistani shells tore through his home across the Line of Control.

Another victim of the shelling was Qari Mohammed Iqbal, a 47-year-old teacher who was wrongly labelled a terrorist by several mainstream media outlets.

Read: His name was Qari Mohammad Iqbal. He was not a terrorist.

Watch: Qari Mohammad Iqbal कौन है? | Republic | Zee News | ABP News | CNN-News18

A 45-year-old Kashmiri woman from Uri, two migrants from Bihar in Rajouri, a retired serviceman and a member of the Jammu and Kashmir administration also died in the shelling. The attacks claimed the lives of two-year-old Aisha Noor, seven-year-old Maryam Khatoon, and 13-year-old Vihaan Bhargav.

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