Islamabad, May 9 Pakistan-linked disinformation campaigns are not confined to regional tensions but are increasingly seen as efforts that can destabilise democracies, inflame violence, and undermine global trust. From heightening tensions with India to shaping narratives around conflicts in the Middle East, these activities are viewed as posing broader risks to international stability, a report highlighted on Saturday.
According to a report in Athens-based 'Directus', Pakistan's military-intelligence apparatus, particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has developed expertise in this "dark art" of information warfare.
“Pakistan’s disinformation ecosystem is deeply institutionalised. Pakistan’s ISI and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) operate specialised wings, including an ‘information management wing’ for media and cyber operations,” it noted.
Citing several findings, the report mentioned that the Pakistan-linked state entities operate troll farms, fake news portals, and bot networks. It added that a study identified more than 50 Pakistani-linked accounts on social media platform X amplifying anti-India narratives generating millions of impressions.
The report raised questions about the funding behind such a "professionalised system”, noting that such warfare operations would require substantial financial resources given Pakistan's economic crisis.
“It is fascinating that a country suffering from a severe economic crisis has the audacity to spend so much money on information warfare,” it noted.
According to the report, such disinformation campaigns from Pakistan normalise proxy warfare, increasing the risk of miscalculation with India.
“The 2025 Pahalgam attack in Kashmir saw similar tactics; Pakistani bots flooded global feeds with claims of ‘Indian genocide', attempting to create an image of India as an aggressor, fabricating false fear about a potential Indian nuclear attack, though India is sufficiently clear about its ‘No First Use’ nuclear policy," it stated.
The report highlighted that in the Middle East, Pakistan’s “duplicity” intensified diplomatic strains, including in the latest conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. It noted that Pakistan-linked networks are deploying manipulated content projecting India in a negative light, including unverified claims that India was secretly assisting the United States in strikes on Iran by sharing intelligence—allegations not supported by evidence.
Stressing that by circulating false claims about India’s role in the Iran–Israel–US tensions, the report said these campaigns distort how the conflict is perceived globally, with the potential to mislead policymakers, media, and the public across several regions.
“Pakistan’s state-sponsored disinformation isn’t mere propaganda; it’s asymmetric warfare reshaping reality. It sows chaos from Delhi to Tehran, risking escalation in a multipolar world. Democracies need to see this as a matter of national security with punishing those who support it, strengthen fact-checking networks, and make sure AI is used responsibly. If they ignore it, truth could be replaced by whatever the highest bidder wants people to believe," it mentioned.
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