Memetic Warfare: A New Frontline in India–Pakistan Relations

Abstract

In the age of digitalization, ideological contestations in South Asia are not limited to the traditional military and diplomatic arena but are also taking place in the digital space.   This study investigates memetic warfare as a form of ideological warfare in Indo-Pak relations after the 2025 Pahalgam attack and military operations conducted by both countries, India's Operation Sindoor and Pakistan's Operation Bunyan ul Marsoos. Drawing on the theory of power and knowledge (Foucault, 1977) and applying multimodal discourse analysis (van Leeuwen, 2005), it examines how internet memes act as instruments of resistance and misinformation. Through a qualitative analysis of six memes that circulated widely on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), this research shows how memes challenge state authority, produce alternative political knowledge, and challenge official narratives. The analysis shows how memetic warfare, by shifting the power dynamics from institutional players to common people, empowers ordinary citizens to reinterpret geopolitical narratives through humour and satire. However, the same mechanism that facilitates resistance also allows false information to propagate. These findings illustrate how memes can serve as tools for epistemic risk as well as for ideological subversion, and the need for critical media literacy in regions of conflict, particularly during Indo-Pak conflicts, in which public opinion is rapidly formed based on digital information.