NEW DELHI: Since Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has been living with fantasies and pushing hard to make the world believe that it won during the conflict against India. With the use of doctored satellite images, fake visuals, and misinformation campaigns, Islamabad has been claiming that it hit Indian airfields and installations. After the Operation Sindoor, Pakistan portrayed that it hit a Sukhoi-30MKI parked at Adampur air base in Punjab and destroyed an S-400 surface-to-air missile unit at Bhuj airfield in Gujarat. However, these assertions have been systematically dismantled by independent satellite imagery analyst Damien Symon, who has been closely examining these claims over the past month.Adampur airbase: The Sukhoi that wasn’t hitOne of the most prominent claims involved a strike on a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet at Punjab’s Adampur airbase. The image shared to support this showed a fighter near what was presented as a burn mark.But top imagery analyst Damien Symon revealed the truth: the image pre-dated the conflict, the aircraft was a MiG-29 under routine maintenance, and the so-called damage was engine soot buildup from testing, not a missile hit.Bhuj airbase: Phantom strike on S-400Another image claimed Pakistan had taken out an S-400 radar system at Bhuj airfield in Gujarat. A closer look showed dark patches on the ground, supposedly impact marks, which turned out to be oil stains in a vehicle maintenance yard. Worse, the image was captured well before hostilities began.Adampur again: Faked crater marks on S-400A separate claim involved alleged missile damage to the S-400 battery at Adampur. This time, the satellite image was digitally edited, with black dots added to mimic bomb craters. Comparison with current, unedited satellite images showed no such marks at the site.Naliya airbase: A cloud’s shadow, not a bombIn one of the most absurd claims, Pakistan used an image of Naliya airbase to suggest a bombing raid had darkened the soil. Symon’s analysis showed the “damage” was actually just a passing cloud casting a shadow on the runway.Srinagar airport: A hazy lieA blurry, low-quality image of Srinagar airport’s civilian apron was circulated as proof of a Pakistani strike. But high-resolution satellite photos from multiple dates showed no damage whatsoever. The image was either misread or intentionally tampered with.Chinese satellite firm joins the showAdding an international twist, Pakistan also released imagery from a Chinese satellite company to “prove” another hit on Adampur. The supposed “damage” turned out to be a mark that had existed for months, visible in older satellite captures as well.Jammu airport: Digital fakery exposedIn yet another instance, visuals claiming to show bomb damage at Jammu airport were widely shared. The “blackened spots” near the runway were proven false after high-resolution post-strike satellite photos showed a completely intact airbase. The original image had been digitally altered.Across all claims, Pakistan has failed to demonstrate any actual damage to Indian airbases or assets in the wake of its attempted retaliation. In contrast, Indian airstrikes on Pakistani military sites, particularly Jacobabad and Bholari, have been more successful.“Recent imagery from Bholari Airbase, Pakistan indicates that the hangar damaged in the Indian airstrike is now covered with tarpaulin possibly signaling repair activity/restoration is now underway,” Damien Symon wrote in a post on X. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Adampur airbase shortly after Operation Sindoor only reinforced the absence of any significant damage on Indian soil, a direct counter to the Pakistani narrative.
