Venom against Pakistan: a winning election strategy for India

Venom against Pakistan: a winning election strategy for India

By Qamar Bashir

Former Press Secretary to the President

Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France

Former MD, SRBC

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Narendra Modi won the last election in April and May 2019 by spewing venom and animosity against Pakistan as an election rallying cry. This propaganda machinery prompted Modi to accuse Pakistan, albeit without evidence, of being “an epicenter of terrorism” and to carry out air surgical strikes inside Pakistan just before the election to gain maximum mileage.  Excited by the idea to augment his vote bank, he authorized the strike within Pakistan on 26 Feb, 2019 on an imaginary training camp, but ended up discharging jets’ payload on barren land, damaging a few tree branches but inflicting wounds, humiliation and indignation on itself, exposing its sluggish, thoughtless and ill-prepared military machine. He failed to achieve any of its objectives, instead two Indian helicopters were destroyed in ensuing confusion and panic, two mig aircrafts were downed by the Pakistani Air Force, and a pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman was captured. Pakistan’s response was meticulously  conceived, was surprising and proportional and conducted with surgical precision. The Pakistani jets airborne within their own airspace, locked the major economic and security facilities deep inside India, emptying their payload away from them and by doing so demonstrated their ability, agility and capability to target anywhere in India to achieve intended objectives, and above all without  jeopardizing the peace and security of the region.

Notwithstanding the disastrous result of the misconceived adventure, war euphoria trumpeted by Modi won him the elections. Same strategy is likely to be adopted to win the impending elections in May of 2024.  However, he may not be able to fool the Indian people this time around as now not only they, but the entire world have realized that the foreign chapter of Indian propaganda machine has been developing and spreading hateful propaganda and disinformation against Pakistan and China by targeting European leaders, while its domestic propaganda machine was is fabricating disinformation and fake news against Pakistan’s as an election rallying point.

The scale, depth and reach of sophisticated India’s propaganda juggernaut was alarming and frightening, but a surest way to influence public opinion and decision-makers throughout Europe to achieve its abhorrent and disgusting objectives and goals including, but not limited to, discrediting Pakistan in particular and China to a lesser degree, promoting India as a tolerant and democratic nation that respects human rights, and downplaying or denying any negative news or information about the India. To harm the reputation of other nations in order to receive more support from international organizations such as the EU and the United Nations.  But to India’s dismay, this huge multi billion machinery was unearthed by Disinfolab in 2019 and the disfigured face of India was revealed to the entire world.

European DisinfoLab, founded in 2015 by journalists, researchers, and activists concerned with the growing threat of disinformation in the European Union, is an independent, non-profit organization that collects knowledge and expertise on disinformation in Europe. One of EU DisinfoLab’s most notable investigations was its “Indian Chronicles” which exposed a network of Indian-affiliated websites and NGOs that were disseminating disinformation about Pakistan. The report was published in 2019-20 and has been referenced by media outlets across the globe. Its groundbreaking exposé uncovered a covert but lethal network of Indian-affiliated websites and non-governmental organizations led by Srivastava Group, a New Delhi, India-based public relations firm, in collaboration with a number of other Indian organizations, including the Press Trust of India (ANI), a government-funded news agency, and the India Foundation, a government-funded think tank.

DisinfoLab also discovered at the United Nations and other international forums, this vast network, in coordination with its partners and connections in the rest of the world, was disseminating false and misleading information about Pakistan and China. It has also uncovered a website, EU Chronicle, that published several articles falsely claiming that Pakistan supports terrorism and human rights violations.

It was also discovered that Indian-affiliated websites impersonated deceased European politicians, such as former U.S. diplomat Louis Sohn, to lend credibility to their claims about Pakistan, and that one of these websites published an article purporting to be an interview with Sohn in which he criticized Pakistan’s human rights record. Anti-Pakistan propaganda was effectively targeted at Indian diaspora communities in Europe.

One Twitter account, @EUDisinfoLab, for instance, regularly posted tweets accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism and other human rights violations. Additionally, the report revealed that individuals with ties to India had infiltrated European think tanks and academic institutions in order to inject and propagate Indian propaganda against Pakistan. Ankit Srivastava, an Indian national, was discovered to be a member of the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), a think institution accused of spreading anti-Pakistan propaganda.

These fictitious websites also employed paid trolls to disseminate Indian propaganda online by posting comments supporting Indian government policies and attacking Pakistan on social media and news websites. For instance, according to a study conducted by the University of Oxford, a network of Indian trolls disseminate pro-India propaganda on Twitter. It was also discovered that Indian-affiliated proxies were used to spread Indian propaganda online, typically by liking and sharing pro-Indian content on social media. According to a study conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a network of Indian bots amplified pro-India content on Twitter.

The European Union and its member states and International Organizations especially UNO were shocked, taken aback, and felt exploited and manipulated. Their trust on India was breached and its distorted, disfigured and cruel face was unmasked. They were alarmed and reacted with condemnation of the Indian government and denounced the Indian propaganda campaign, urging the Indian government to end it, and pledged to take action against the Indian disinformation campaign. The French government stated that it was “deeply concerned” by the report and demanded that the Indian government “take immediate action” to end the disinformation campaign. The German government described the report as a “serious breach of trust” and demanded an explanation from the Indian government.  The Italian government described the report as “worrying” and demanded that the Indian government “respect the truth.” The British government described the report as “deeply disturbing” and demanded that the Indian government end its disinformation campaign.

On the other hand, the world has recognized that Pakistan being the frontline state thwarted Russia’s desire to reach warm seas, played a crucial role in its defeat and later split, and protected the entire world from the spread of communist doctrine. It was also Pakistan that sacrificed over 70,000 civilian and military lives by capturing the demon of terrorism and saving not only its own people but also the people of the region and the entire world from its destructive doctrine and terrorist acts.  

A USA spokesperson in a Press conference held on 28th June 2023 defended Pakistan’s stand against terrorism. He said the United States has “long-standing and deep cooperation” with Pakistan on counterterrorism, and that Pakistan has “made significant progress” in recent years in combating terrorism. He also corrected the part of a joint statement issued by the United States and India on June 24, 2023 by acknowledging that the United States believes that Pakistan is “committed to fighting terrorism’, both the countries are working together to address our shared concerns” and expressed the United States’ “confidence” in Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism.  Former US President Donald Trump stated in a 2018 speech that Pakistan has made significant sacrifices in our struggle against terrorism and that “We appreciate their efforts and will continue to work with them.” In 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, “Both China and Pakistan are victims of terrorism,” adding, “We must work together to combat terrorism and protect our shared interests.” Former British Prime Minister Theresa May stated, “Pakistan has made significant progress in its fight against terrorism,” adding, “We are committed to supporting Pakistan’s efforts.” “Pakistan is a key partner in the fight against terrorism,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, who added, “We should work together to strengthen our cooperation.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated, “Germany and Pakistan are committed to fighting terrorism together,” and added, “We should work to strengthen our cooperation.”

The Indian government did not spare its own people and injected them rather forcefully with its hate philosophy to sow the seeds of discord and social and religious disharmony that are now fully grown and threatening India’s very existence. The Indian government exploits Press Trust of India (ANI) to blatantly spread false information about Pakistan and China. It has employed The India Foundation, a government-funded think organization, to produce reports favorable to the Indian government and critical of Pakistan and China. It uses the Hindutva Network, a network of Hindu nationalist organizations, to promote violence against Muslims and other minorities, disseminate false information, and stifle dissent, posing a grave threat to democracy and free speech in India.

In this interconnected world where information travels and disseminates faster than the speed of light, India’s usurping the rights of minorities, restricting the freedom of the Press and free speech, and its hateful Hindutva and Akhund Bharat philosophy and false and fabricated propaganda has been exposed. The people of the world and India have spoken out against India’s divisive, hateful, and discriminatory policies, and Pakistan’s narrative on its anti-terrorism stance and for peace in the region and around the world is gathering currency and acceptance worldwide.