Pakistani foreign minister expressed concern about the Indian news agency ANI’s involvement in the anti-Pakistan, fake news racket run by the Indian government. He said ANI was feeding stories international media which are now proved fake news. Moeed Yousuf, Prime Minister’s assitant on National Security said the EuroinfoLab evidence shows that India is acting like a mafia and not a state.
Addressing a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said following the damning report by EU DisinfoLab the reality of India’s propaganda against Pakistan is now in front of the world and cannot be denied.
Flanked by National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister Moeed Yusuf and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, the Foreign Minister drew the world’s attention to India’s nefarious state-supported misinformation campaigns and its state-sponsored terrorism efforts.
“On 14th November, I provided details along with DG ISPR on how India is patronising terrorism in Pakistan with irrefutable evidence; India to date has not given a satisfactory answer,” Qureshi said.
Talking about the recent report by EU DisinfoLab – an independent EU-focused NGO working on raising awareness on digital misinformation – which revealed that India has been running an extensive influence network “targeting international institutions and serving Indian interests” using fabricated news and organisations, Qureshi said India has now been exposed.
“India’s anti Pakistan propaganda has been exposed by EU DisinfoLab. Fake organisations were set up, fake think tanks were used, all of this was funded and orchestrated by India as a state, and its institutions were involved in the funding process.”
The Foreign Minister raised particular concern regarding Asian News International (ANI) – an Indian news agency that provides syndicated multimedia news to bureaus in India and across the world.
“Our concern is that ANI feeds to reputed wires like Reuters as well. Many times their manipulated stories have been picked up by Reuters. “
Qureshi added that “the visit of European MEPs was also done through these fake front organisations to give an impression of normalcy in Kashmir, this was funded by India. The interns of UNHRC were similarly used by these fake organisations as their mouth piece; all funded by India.”
“If we say it or the Foreign Office says it, we were said to be biased; now an independent third party has said that such a massive propaganda campaign is being carried out”
“Pakistan has been battling with a hybrid warfare for years. Now the reality is in front of the world. Yet, we had been informing the world time and again about India’s nefarious designs,” he added.
Speaking at the presser, Moeed Yosuf said the evidence shows that India is acting like a mafia and not a state: “This shows criminality.”
“RAW arranged the visit of European MEPs through a Indian front woman. Fake magazines and news outlets were hosted by Indian servers which were part of the RAW network. First, they lobbied European MEPs against Pakistan on issues of mutual interest, then fake think tanks were set up.”
The National Security Advisor went on: “Even the United Nations (UN) was misused, their Human Rights Commission (HRC) was misused, interns from the body were misled into maligning Pakistan. NGOs who were accredited on different unrelated forums were used to peddle anti-Pakistan propaganda.”
“Dead people were resurrected and their names were used to publish anti-Pakistan propaganda. Journalists who never existed were published. Srivastava group was used, and ANI projected anti-Pakistan propaganda at every turn.”
Moeed Yusuf added that this network was expanded for 116 countries and that the MOFA is not sure if this network works for misinformation inside India or just on anti-Pakistan propaganda.
He concluded the presser by saying that these networks portray themselves as voices from GB and Balochistan whereas it has nothing to do with reality on the ground. Pakistan’s security conditions have improved, and Pakistan has been, and will continue, speaking the truth to the world unapologetically.
