India’s disinformation campaign exposed again

ISLAMABAD: India has once again resorted to a malicious disinformation campaign against Pakistan, this time using a convicted terrorist as its mouthpiece through a media outlet linked to its ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move comes after India’s recent diplomatic and military setbacks in its confrontations with Pakistan.

The Sunday Guardian, a known BJP-affiliated publication, has provided a platform to Ehsanullah Ehsan the notorious terrorist who confessed to masterminding the 2014 Army Public School (APS) Peshawar massacre that killed 149 people, mostly children. Ehsan is now being used by India’s intelligence agency RAW to propagate baseless allegations against Pakistan, including fabricated claims about false flag operations involving Afghanistan and China.

No truce in India-Pakistan disinformation war

The newspaper, founded by disgraced BJP leader M.J. Akbar who resigned during India’s #MeToo movement over sexual harassment allegations, has repeatedly violated journalistic ethics by publishing Ehsan’s anti-Pakistan propaganda pieces. This mirrors India’s earlier exposed campaigns, including the 2020 EU Disinfo Lab report that revealed a vast network of fake NGOs and media outlets operated by Indian operatives to malign Pakistan internationally.

Pakistan, which has suffered tremendously from terrorism sponsored by RAW and its proxies, maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of terrorism. The country’s security forces have successfully countered numerous threats emanating from Indian-backed terrorist groups. India’s latest attempt to weaponize a known terrorist for propaganda purposes only exposes its desperation following repeated failures on both diplomatic and military fronts.

The international community must recognise and condemn India’s dangerous tactics of using terrorists as tools for disinformation. Pakistan remains committed to exposing such malicious campaigns while continuing its fight against terrorism in all its forms.