Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian and one Nepali citizen, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of 07 May 2025. The Indian government stated that the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, emphasising that no Pakistani military installations were struck. It described the strikes as focused, measured, and non-escalatory.
Citing military sources, media reports indicated that at least 80 terrorists were killed during the operation. However, Pakistan stated that at least 26 civilians were killed and 46 others injured in the missile strikes. In response, cross-border shelling by Pakistani forces reportedly led to the deaths of at least nine civilians and injuries to 38 others in Jammu and Kashmir. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, along with Col. Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, addressed the media on 07 May 2025 to brief on Operation Sindoor. During the briefing, they released visuals showing the Indian Armed Forces striking the targeted sites.
In this context, social media is abuzz with a video (here, here, and here) purportedly showing a Pakistani news anchor crying over the lives lost in Operation Sindoor. In the video clip, we can hear her saying that the people who were killed will meet Allah and speak about the atrocities that happened to them in this world. We will fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Video of a Pakistani news anchor breaking down on live TV after the Operation Sindoor
Fact: The video is from November 2023 and not related to Operation Sindoor. It shows news anchor Farwa Waheed breaking down during a news broadcast on a Pakistani media channel, Express News, in November 2023. She was reporting on the people who lost their lives in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we performed a reverse image search using a few keyframes from the viral video. This search led us to an uncropped version of the video on ‘X.’ In this version of the video, we can observe the logo and details of Pakistani media outlet Express News.’
Taking this as a hint, we performed a keyword search and found (archive link) the original full length of the video report that contained the visuals seen in the viral video. This video is currently blocked in India.
The video titled ‘Palestine Kay Masoom Logo Mujhe Muaf Krna |Anchor Farwa Waheed Bursts into Tears During Live Show’ was uploaded on the official verified YouTube channel of ‘Express News’ on 6 November 2023.
In the video, news anchor Farwa Waheed was reporting on the dire situation of Palestinians in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. She was seen speaking about the lives lost due to this conflict and showing solidarity with Palestinians. The bit seen in the viral clip can be seen at the 9:10 mark of the video.
Additionally, we also found the same video on Farwa Waheed’s Instagram handle (archive link). She posted this on 7 November 2024 with a caption that reads ‘I couldn’t control my tears and emotions .. i know we can’t do anything for the people of palestine (Gaza) Thousand of people have lost their lives, many are struggling to survive and that hurts a lot .. may this brutality end soon ..’ All this evidence makes it clear that this viral clip is unrelated to Operation Sindoor.
To sum up, a video clip from a November 2023 Pakistani news report is being shared as a Pakistani journalist breaking down on live TV over lives lost in Operation Sindoor.
