Pakistan-based propaganda accounts are spreading an old video of retired Indian Army Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain with misleading claims. They allege that he admitted the ISI and Pakistan Army performed effectively and that India’s real defeat came from the ISPR on the digital front. This is false. The video is being misrepresented as linked to the May 2025 India-Pakistan tensions. In reality, the clip comes from March–April 2019 during a session of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on “Civil Society in Jammu and Kashmir: Democracy versus Terrorism.” Lt Gen Hasnain made no such remarks in that event.
Several influencers @TacticalTribun, @PakArmyc, @rationaldialgue, @Atharsaleem01, @Valkyrie00777, and @MuhammaddNawaz pushed this claim across social media platforms.
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain of #IndianArmy praising professionalism of #ISPR. He is admitting that ISPR has outmanoeuvred India in Information Operations domain. Previously we Indians were familiar with #ISI only but now fear #ISPR
Truth: Video from 2019 IISS Session Misrepresented
As this claim gained traction, it drew our attention. The D-Intent Data Team used reverse image research and credible sources to verify the video. Our investigation led us to the official account of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which confirms that the clip is from its 2019 special session on “Civil Society in Jammu and Kashmir: Democracy versus Terrorism.” It is clear that the footage has no link to the May 2025 tensions. Lt Gen Hasnain never praised ISI or ISPR in this context. The circulating claims are fabricated and misleading.
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— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) September 8, 2025
ANALYSIS: Propaganda
FACT: Pakistan-based propaganda accounts are circulating an old video of retired Indian Army Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain with misleading claims. They allege that he admitted the ISI and Pakistan Army performed effectively, (1/4) pic.twitter.com/Sp1Us9YkQp
Intent:
Propaganda accounts are circulating old videos of Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain with self-invented claims to set their narrative against India.
Conclusion:
Claim: Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain praised ISI/ISPR and admitted India’s defeat on the digital front during the May 2025 tensions.
Fact: The video is from a 2019 IISS event, unrelated to 2025. He made no such statements.
Related Article: Fact Check: Misleading Claims About Tensions in India’s Leadership
