India’s history of disinformation campaigns against Pakistan is well-documented. The 2020 EU DisinfoLab report laid bare a sophisticated and insidious network of Indian influence operations targeting Pakistan. Now, following a humiliating military defeat, the Indian state, likely through RAW, has launched a new, blatant disinformation campaign, this time utilizing its mouthpiece media and terrorist proxies.
A concerted anti-Pakistan campaign
The focal point of this campaign is “The Sunday Guardian” a BJP mouthpiece newspaper. This outlet is providing a platform to Ehsan Ullah Ehsan, a notorious terrorist responsible for the horrific APS Peshawar attack, a blatant violation of journalistic ethics. Ehsan’s articles, consistently peddling anti-Pakistan propaganda and fake news, are part of a broader strategy to create false-flag operations, this time ludicrously linking Afghanistan and China. The fact that a wanted terrorist enjoys the status of an author, solely qualified as an anti-Pakistan propagandist, highlights the desperation of the Indian government. It is widely known within counter-terrorism circles that Ehsan is operating under the patronage of the Government of India (GoI) and RAW.
Who does The Sunday Guardian represent?
The Sunday Guardian’s ownership and editorial direction are intrinsically linked to the BJP. Founded by M.J. Akbar, a BJP politician forced to resign in 2018 amidst #MeToo allegations, the newspaper serves as a propaganda tool for the BJP/RSS. The current anti-Pakistan campaign within its pages is a desperate attempt to deflect from India’s military setbacks and weaponize the counter-terrorism narrative against Pakistan. This is a clear attempt to mislead the global community, which has largely rejected Modi’s aggressive stance.
Well-known Indian dis-info campaign
The world is well aware of India’s disinformation tactics. However, the current campaign’s brazenness—providing a platform to a known terrorist—is alarming. The publication of Ehsan Ullah Ehsan’s articles in The Sunday Guardian is a blatant example of RAW’s information operations, leveraging Afghan connections to spread disinformation. The 2020 EU DisinfoLab report serves as a stark reminder of the scale and sophistication of these operations.
Pakistan’s Stance
Pakistan maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. While battling a recent resurgence of terrorism, likely fuelled by RAW, Pakistan will not be deterred by fabricated narratives. The irony lies in India’s desperation to utilize a known terrorist to smear Pakistan, highlighting the weakness of their position and the failure of their disinformation campaign.
