RAWALPINDI, Jan 11 (APP): Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar on Monday said the European Union Disinfo Lab had revealed that India had employed the highest intensity propaganda against Pakistan during its 15-year long disinformation campaign.
According to the Disinfo Lab report ‘Indian Chronicles’, the Indian fake media campaign was carried out by Shirvastav Group through false media outlets, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and news outlets, the ISPR DG told a media briefing.
He said sham media outlets were highlighting fake protests and using motivated content against Pakistan. “The Indian newswire service ANI used to make the motivated content viral.
Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) affiliated Aglaya company – an expert in hacking and Internet networking – has been part of this 15-year sham media campaign.”
Major General Babar said the EU Disinfo Lab had exposed undeniable evidence of Indian hand behind terror acts on the Pakistani soil.
He said before dissecting the Indian disinformation campaign against Pakistan it was necessary to ascertain the course being followed by India and Pakistan.
He said “Pakistan during the past 20 years has fought a successful war against terrorism and proved to be a responsible state.”
In over 1,200 operations, almost all terror outfits had been eliminated in the country, with killing of over 18,000 terrorists.
He said in the legal domain, adequate legislation was enacted in order to curb extremism and terrorism, besides coordinated action was launched against such organizations through a comprehensive strategy.
For international peace and security, he said, the security forces of Pakistan had either arrested or killed over 1,100 Al-Qaeda terrorists, besides sharing intelligence with more than 70 countries.
Pakistan sacrificed more than 83,000 innocent lives in the fight against terrorism and bore $126 billion economic losses, he added.
On the contrary, the DG ISPR said, India in the past two decades had increased provocations on Pakistan’s eastern border, perpetrated the worst human rights violations and laid the military siege of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for more than one and a half years, and in February 2019 made an abortive attempt of aggression against Pakistan.
The DG ISPR said proofs of Indian belligerent designs were already exposed by global institutions, adding.
According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, 44 Indian banks were involved in terror financing through money laundering. UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and Genocide Watch had made eye opening disclosures about blatant human rights abuses and state-sponsored Indian terrorism whose evidences were mentioned in the Disinfo Lab report.
He said the entire disinformation network was run by a New Delhi based Shrivastav Group that perpetrated the criminal counterfeit information campaign against Pakistan through fake think tanks, NGOs and media outlets.
The Disinfo Lab, he said, took deep analysis of the UN accredited think tanks and NGOs. It found that the Indian organisations and outlets were registered for some other purpose and later reasserted to support anti-Pakistan narrative.
He said the 15-year disinformation campaign had badly damaged Pakistan’s image and targeted it in six different domains – terrorism, economy, fomenting chaos, diplomatic domain, Kashmir and social issues.
“If I explain you only two of these: on Kashmir Issue, the Indian brutalities were camouflaged and huge amount of counterfeit content on Article 370 revocation was proliferated to prove it right for the Kashmiris.”
He said the EU parliamentarians were sent to the IIOJK on visit in their personal capacities and were showed as EU officials globally and in that perspective they also managed to initiate anti-Pakistan resolutions in the EU Parliament.
He said India had misguided the credible authorities like the UN and the EU through its misinformation campaign. “In social issues domain, fake propaganda against women and minorities has also been launched in the EU countries.
No doubt this has been perpetrated under the patronage of the Indian state.”
It should serve as a call to the decision makers to put in place the relevant framework to sanction actors and governments abusing international institutions, influencing decision makers and misleading the world opinion, he added.
Major General Babar said said as the dividend of efforts made by the security forces to fight all the enemy designs, the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had received massive development schemes for the uplift of marginalised areas.
He said the enemy forces for a long were busy in sabotaging the peace of Balochistan where the security forces had foiled all their plots with their sacrifices.
Peace would be ensured in the province at all costs.
He said in Balochistan, “we are transitioning from the process of care and hold to build and transfer. Around 199 development projects have been launched worth Rs 601 billion.”
It included 10 projects related to health, 18 schemes of education, 42 projects of transport and 20 development projects of agriculture.
Similarly in KP’s tribal districts, he said, as many as 883 development schemes were initiated at the cost of Rs 31 billion, including 268 education, 70 health, 15 transport and communication infrastructure, and 30 major irrigation projects.
The DG ISPR also lauded the role of nation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that was being executed with wisdom and strategy within the limited available resources which was acknowledged globally. Doctors, paramedics and healthcare workers all deserved acclamation for their services, he added.
“We have given a strong response to the contagion through the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC). ISPR is working as an information arm of the NCOC.”
He also thanked the media and felicitated it for unveiling Indian designs and keeping the nation united in the fight against the coronavirus.
“The enemy is trying to disintegrate us and we have to remain steadfast, united and play our individual role of making Pakistan successful as it is a unanimous destination,” he added.
He said the challenge was mammoth but with the Almighty’s help and resolute support of the nation the military had overcome faced many testing times.
“The challenge that we have overcome is not over yet as we cannot not relent and budge and we have to realise that we are not out of the boots till now.
“We have stayed the course and will stay the course during all testing times,” he resolved
The DG ISPR said the erstwhile FATA was cleansed from terrorists and there was a continuous downward trend in high impact terror incidents.
To a query, he responded that the main targets of enemy forces were Balochistan and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which had been fully exposed in the dossier.
He said the Balochistan Frontier Corps (FC) had been strengthened with its bifurcation into FC North and FC South to command the province.
A special security division was raised to protect Gwadar and coastal areas whereas formations of Pakistan Army in Balochistan were also active in the areas of Balochistan.
The DG ISPR categorically stated that the Pak-Afghan border was fenced on the directives of Government of Pakistan. “Our soldiers have spilled their blood and sweat for the fence project. Nobody can dare to uproot it as it is for the protection of the people of Pakistan.”
He said there was no organised terrorist infrastructure on ground in the tribal areas.
A proper police force had been deployed in the areas which was fully trained to take such miscreants to task, he added.
“We have highlighted the international funding involved in launching of Daesh-e-Pakistan in the UN Dossier as some terrorists of splinter groups had tried to claim themselves as part of it to gain mass only.
“Pakistan is moving on a positive trajectory and there’s no looking back towards it.”
Responding another question, he said the Pakistan Army’s morale was highly placed and doing its job as a subordinate department of the government.
The Pakistan Army had nothing to do with politics and should not be dragged into it.
The general election 2018 were conducted by the army on the government’s demand and those having any objections in its outcome should go to the relevant forum, he added.
