Since the subcontinent’s partition in 1947, India and Pakistan have been at odds over the Kashmir region. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the territory, and each state claims ownership of the entire region. The grievances surrounding these historic disputes exacerbate regional instability. In this long-running rivalry, India is employing novel military tactics against Pakistan. Initially, there was the water issue, which was indeed then followed by border skirmishes, and so nowadays cyber warfare is the major conflict between two states.
A recent investigation report titled ‘Bad Sources’ (BS) by EU DisInfo Lab, a non-governmental fact-checking NGO based in Brussels, revealed the detailed and systematic disinformation campaign. This is the third report; the previous two were ‘EP Today’ and ‘Indian Chronicles’. Srivastava Group, as a main protagonist, organized and launched Modi’s government ‘s propaganda campaign against Pakistan and Muslims, which was actually backed and strengthened by Asian News International, ANI. This narrative construction began in 2005 and has been ongoing for the past two decades. The group is responsible for registering the domain, creating fake media outlets, and creating fake origins. ANI has become a de facto stakeholder in the anti-Pakistan campaign and negative publicity propaganda. Furthermore, the group resurrects dormant origins by using them to promote the Indian government’s agenda of isolating Pakistan in international forums such as the United Nations Human Rights Council, as well as UNSC. Through nearly 750 fake media outlets in 119 countries, Indian media promotes anti-Pakistan advertising and employs strategies such as faking people’s identities and reshaping their statements.
Ankit Srivastava is the primary propagandist for this group and is in charge of all propaganda-related affairs. The investigation revealed that ANI, a local media network that has at least 97 countries under its flap and promotes online negative content against Pakistan, was responsible for redesigning the fake news, which was created in Brussels, Geneva, and other places around the globe. The report reveals that the personae and organizations mentioned by ANI are zombie organizations and do not actually exist. The Indian Chronicles has a list of more than ten hijacked NGOs. For example, the Canners International Permanent Committee (CIPC), which was founded in 1938 to support and advance the canning industry, no longer exists as of 2007. The other is (capcngo.com), a domain that was registered on January 20, 2016, but is now one of the former businesses that the Srivastava Group has revived. The Srivastava Group is directly credited with founding these NGOs.
The Indian Chronicles makes false references to people who have passed away and then brings them back to life to serve their purposes. One of them is named “Louis Shon,” and a domain called the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace has been registered in his honor (CSOP). Louis Shon is a play on the name Louis B. Shon, who served as Chairman of CSOP from 1996 to 2006 before passing away. He was frequently mentioned as being an active participant in the numerous CSOP events in 2007 and those organized by the “Friends of Gilgit-Baltistan” in Washington, DC, in 2011. Nevertheless, he was already deceased at the time.
It’s interesting to note that the Indian government uses zombie organizations and dead personas as political pawns to advance its agenda of brainwashing citizens domestically and abroad against Pakistan and other rival nations of India, such as China. These organizations’ primary concerns are Baluchistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Minorities, and Women, similar to how they are with Pakistan. For instance, when Pakistan appeared before the UNHRC, the International Seed Crushers organization made it a point to criticize Pakistan for the mistreatment of minorities without conducting any research or providing any evidence.
Additionally, the Srivastava Group is in charge of and links the other NGOs involved in the anti-Pakistan lobbying to speak at the UNHRC against Pakistan. Instead of sticking to their original course, the organizations would attack Pakistan for adopting a pro-Indian stance. For instance, the African Regional Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), which has asked Pakistani minorities to speak on its behalf, has been quite vocal in its criticism of Pakistan before the UN Human Rights Council. The Baloch People’s Congress, Global Baloch Women’s Forum, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, Baloch Students Association, United Kashmir People’s National Party, and other organizations and individuals are given the opportunity to speak before the UNHRC. The organizations also repeatedly asked for Mehran Marri, the current leader of the United Baloch Army, which the state of Pakistan recognizes as a terrorist group. The Srivastava Group also collaborates with various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) outside of the UN to lobby for India and to discredit Pakistan. The Srivastava Group then supported the Baluchistan House’s display of the “Free Baluchistan” poster throughout Geneva by exploiting, among other things, Pakistani minorities and human rights concerns.
The Srivastava Group registered more than 550 domains, either directly or indirectly, as part of this extensive disinformation campaign. They include think tanks, NGOs, European Parliamentary Groups, online media, and areas concerned with local and regional conflicts. India has produced a fake environment where the information in the EU Chronicles might appear credible. By copying the titles and descriptions from the websites of the European Parliament and claiming that it was written by their reporters and journalists who don’t exist, the pro-Indian lobby is also using the “Content Syndication” tool.
Repackaging and amplifying the content produced in Brussels and Geneva is the responsibility of ANI. According to the (BS) report, the ANI let down its audience by flouting the fundamental principles of the Munich Charter. The purpose of syndicating such hazardous content, according to the report, is for “Independent media EU Chronicles” to present itself as an authentic and reliable source of European news. Additionally, according to this report, a number of members of the European Parliament who produce EU Chronicles have been identified, along with nine out of a total of twelve MEPs who participated in lobbying efforts in support of India and a few unofficial trips to the Maldives. Despite this, some bloggers, such as James Douglas Crichton of the International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS), have continued to publish. Furthermore, Srivastava Group employs Agalya Company, which specializes in spyware and hacking and has ties to Indian Intelligence Services. Given the aforementioned propaganda, both states should establish trusting relationships. The two countries should look at how the superpowers promote trade and interdependence as a means of development. Before the subcontinent was divided, the British instilled the concept of “divide and rule” in both countries.
It is necessary to stop the power-hungry Modi administration’s oppressive policy toward Pakistan. The global forums and watchdogs should take every precaution to oppose and halt the operations of Srivastava Group, ANI, and their other partner organizations. Just one week before Pakistan gained independence, our leader, Jinnah, declared that “peace within and peace without” should be our goal. “We want to live in harmony and to maintain close, cordial ties with both our immediate neighbors and the rest of the world.
