750+ Indian fake media outlets that partnered with NGOs to malign Pakistan worldwide
India has been spreading disinformation about Pakistan using a nexus of 750 fake news media outlets and utilizing services of think tanks to influence policymaking in places such as the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) and European Parliament through these campaigns. The lid on the nefarious actions was blown by the EU DisinfoLab researchers that are based in Brussels.
Delhi based holding company associated with fake media outlets
The campaign has been ongoing for fifteen years now and was partially unearthed last year with 265 fake outlets propagating lies. However, it is now discovered that the scope of the actual operation of this conglomerate is much larger than what was originally found. All outlets are connected to a holding company in India, called the Srivastava Group (SG), which is based in Delhi. A direct link to the Indian government is yet to be found but Asian News International (ANI), India’s largest wire service, played an active part in spreading the lies and is under investigation.
According to Alexandre Alaphilippe, executive director of EU DisinfoLab, this is the largest network his organization as exposed to date.
“It is the largest network we have exposed,” Alaphilippe said. “During the last 15 years, and even after being exposed last year, the fact that this network managed to operate so effectively shows the sophistication and the drive of the actors behind Indian Chronicles.”
NGO involved in maligning campaign
The news outlets aren’t just spreading fake news, they are also involved in lobbying against Pakistan and maligning the image at the highest levels. They even involved UN-accredited NGOs to bring a bad name to Pakistan using the UN stage.
“In Geneva, these think tanks and NGOs are in charge of lobbying, of organizing demonstrations, speaking during press conferences and UN side-events, and they were often given the floor at the UN on behalf of the accredited organizations,” according to the report.
Time to speak the truth
Pakistan needs to start speaking the truth through international forums. The fact that such a network has been exposed, the Pakistani government and media need to take this up at the right forums.