A controversy has erupted after United States analyst John Spencer, Chair of War Studies at the Madison Policy Forum, cited an Indian media report claiming that Pakistan Army generals attended the funeral of a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) member. The group has been a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) since December 2001.
The claim originated from a photograph shared by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Vikram Doraiswami, who told Sky News the man leading the funeral prayers was Hafiz Abdul Azhar, brother of JeM leader Masood Azhar, accompanied by senior Pakistani officers.
Islamabad has not issued an official rejection of the allegation, but Pakistani officials and state media have strongly contested it, calling it a case of “manufactured propaganda.”
Pakistan’s Viewpoint
In response to the allegations, Islamabad pushed back firmly. At a press conference, Pakistan’s military spokesperson Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry dismissed the claim as baseless, insisting that the man in the widely circulated photograph was not a militant but Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a religious cleric and welfare official.
“This man, Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is leading the prayers, is a religious leader and a common family man. He has three daughters, a son, and was born in March 1973,” Chaudhry said, presenting biographical details and family records. He added that Rauf is affiliated with the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) as its Welfare Wing Incharge, with no links to proscribed groups or militant activity.
Islamabad argued that the case reflects India’s broader disinformation campaign, already flagged by multiple international monitors during the ongoing Operation Sindoor.
Escalation Under Operation Sindoor
The controversy unfolds amid escalating hostilities following India’s Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian-held Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists. India blamed Pakistan-based groups, but Islamabad denied involvement and offered to participate in a transparent international investigation.
On May 7, Indian missiles struck six locations across Pakistan, Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot, Shakargarh, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad, claiming the lives of 31 civilians overnight. Pakistan’s military confirmed it had downed five Indian aircraft and one combat drone involved in the strikes, including three Rafales, a MiG-29, and a Su-57.
Indian officials insist the strikes targeted militant infrastructure.
Pakistan also facilitated visits by international media to mosques damaged by Indian missiles and released the names of those killed and injured, a move presented as evidence of transparency, in contrast with India’s opaque narrative.
Human Rights Context
As Pakistan pushed back against India’s allegations, rights concerns continued to mount over New Delhi’s own record. Reports from the United Nations and Amnesty International have highlighted:
- 3,190 Kashmiris detained without legal charges.
- 1,500 homes demolished during counter-insurgency drives.
- At least 44 Kashmiris killed in what rights groups described as staged encounters.
In February 2025, Human Rights Watch urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to curb violence in Manipur, which since May 2023 has killed over 260 and displaced more than 60,000. In September 2025, Amnesty joined a joint call with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), demanding the release of student activist Umar Khalid, who has been held for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Propaganda, Fake News, and Public Anxiety
India’s disinformation campaign extended beyond Spencer’s remarks. Analysts and watchdog groups noted that Indian television channels aired fabricated claims of Pakistan’s defeat, including AI-generated visuals, video game imagery, and footage lifted from unrelated conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Gaza.
John Spencer’s X post of the funeral allegation gave added visibility to one such narrative, though Pakistani officials insist it was based on misidentified images.
Other claims circulating in Indian media included reports that Lahore had been captured, Karachi port destroyed, and multiple Pakistani jets downed. In one case, doctored footage of a Turkish pilot was presented as a captured Pakistani officer.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), an India-based press rights organisation, later lodged a formal complaint with the country’s broadcasting regulator against six channels for what it called “serious ethical breaches” in their coverage of Operation Sindoor.
The Larger Picture
At its core, the controversy reflects a struggle not over funerals, but over facts. India’s attempt to cast itself as a perpetual victim of militancy is challenged by evidence of its own rights record in Kashmir and Manipur. Pakistan insists its transparency speaks louder than India’s disinformation. For civilians caught in Operation Sindoor, the funerals in question were not of militants, but of women and children.
Analysts say the episode highlights a broader trend. In an era of AI-generated visuals, doctored videos, and social-media amplification, truth in wartime is increasingly contested. What begins as a single photograph can quickly evolve into a geopolitical flashpoint.
Propaganda may dominate news cycles, yet on the ground, families of the victims continue to live with the reality that no narrative can erase.
