Pakistan to 'respond to Indian falsehood with truth': FO

• FO Spokesperson Zahid Chaudhri says Pakistan to respond to India and its anti-Pakistan propaganda through sharing accurate information, positive outreach, and "desire for peace"
• India "regrettably" and "flagrantly dishonoured its int'l obligations and deliberately violated int'l law:" FO
• EU DisinfoLab in Nov 2020 revealed over 750 India-backed websites engaged in undermining Pakistan within EU, UN for about 15 years

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan would be responding to the "Indian falsehood with [the] truth", the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement released Friday evening.

Taking to Twitter, FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Pakistan would respond to the "Indian Chronicles" — EU DisinfoLab's investigation report revealing India's disinformation campaign against Pakistan — by sharing accurate information with the international community, adding that the country would counter "India’s anti-Pakistan propaganda through positive outreach to the international community."

He added that Pakistan will reply to "India's state-sponsored terrorism" with "our desire for peace".

In another post on Twitter shortly afterwards, Chaudhri underlined how India "regrettably" and "flagrantly dishonoured its international obligations and deliberately violated international law".

"Solemn pledges were made by the Indian leadership before Kashmiris, Pakistan, the [international] community, and before its own people to give Kashmiris their right to self-determination," he said.

The disinformation campaign

In November last year, the EU DisinfoLab had revealed that over 750 India-backed websites covering more than 119 countries were operational for about 15 years with the sole purpose of undermining Pakistan within the European Union and United Nations.

The investigation unmasked the Srivastava Group backing the operation — termed "the Indian Chronicles" — while Indian news agency, the Asian News International (ANI), was used to boost it. The campaign had started in 2005 and is still functional.

Read more: EU NGO uncovers Indian network of anti-Pakistan fake news websites

The EU DisinfoLab had highlighted the operation's long-term objectives, which included promoting content against Pakistan and China and to consolidate power for India at international forums such as the EU and UN.

To pursue their objective, the operation created an illusion of institutional support from European institutions to these minority groups against Pakistan and China.

Also read: India's 15-year information warfare to internationally malign Pakistan uncovered

Fake media was created in Brussels, Geneva and across the world and then repackaged and disseminated via the ANI and obscure local media networks — at least in 97 countries — to multiply the repetition of online negative content about countries in conflict with India. 

ANI's role in the operation

Highlight the ANI's role in promoting pro-Indian content, the EU DisinfoLab said the EU Chronicle op-eds received "immediate repackaging" by the publication.

The ANI quotes these op-eds as genuine articles from “independent media EU Chronicle”.

Related: Geo News exposed India’s disinformation campaign against Pakistan in 2017

"ANI — which is considered as one of the biggest news agencies in India and the largest television agency of India — remains the only press agency [that] extensively cover[s] the activities of dubious NGOs in Geneva," the research said.

After uncovering ANI's reporting on these developments, the EU DisInfoLab discovered the Big News Network and the World News Network.