Garry Kasparov, a Russian political activist, once noted, “The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.” Just imagine, you don’t need any direct offense or even any diplomatic thaw, just a social media post, and countries could destabilize internally. The advent of artificial intelligence has further exacerbated the situation. From fake news to deepfakes, the disinformation revolution has transformed the warfare dynamics in the international arena. The Indo-Pak strategic contest has also experienced a similar scenario, whereby India has been continuously utilizing its vast disinformation networks against Pakistan. An Indian-sponsored disinformation campaign once again targeted Pakistan in late March 2026. 

The Indian disinformation campaign against Pakistan is not a new phenomenon; rather, it has been practiced throughout history. Emanating from criticism of Pakistan’s nuclear status in the Indian chronicles, Pakistan has always been a prey to Indian propaganda. The ‘Indian Chronicles,’ which revealed the existence of a global network of over 750 bogus media sources in over 115 nations, was one of the investigative reports released by the EU Disinfolab in December 2019 and December 2020. 

The Indian holding firm Srivastava Group ran this network in collaboration with several non-governmental organizations and people who appeared to be aligned with the government. These organizations were engaged in the methodical creation and dissemination of material that opposed Pakistan. Likewise, India has always raised allegations about Pakistan’s nuclear safety and security program, claiming vulnerabilities in its nuclear infrastructure. These allegations appear to be of political interest.

The ‘IPA’ Disinformation Network 

“In the Information Age, success is not merely the result of whose army wins, but whose story wins” (Joseph Nye)

A coordinated social media disinformation campaign originating from India was exposed by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies this month. It aimed at spreading fake official statements accusing Pakistan of playing double standards. This campaign came at a very critical time when the US-Iran war was at its peak. Exploiting the opportunity, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, halting nearly 20% of the world’s oil trade. In this, Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator to end the ongoing hostilities. 

Pakistan just hosted the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt in Islamabad to create a suitable environment for negotiations between the US and Iran and put an end to the war. Pakistan’s international standing has improved so far, especially after the irrefutable success in the May 2025 conflict with India. Whether it’s the US, Russia, or China, Pakistan is currently enjoying a balanced relationship with all three. This has caused panic in the Indian strategic circles. Thus, to create domestic instability and disrupt its increasing international stature, the Indian government is using disinformation as a primary tool against Pakistan. 

According to research, the online campaign was allegedly started by many fictitious social media profiles that purported to be Iranian media outlets, such as Iran TV and INN Iran News. According to reports, these accounts spread accusations that Pakistan was helping the United States with oil supplies, a narrative that analysts believe was intended to incite outrage and suspicion among the local populace. In general, India is adhering to a structured model called “Initiator, Proliferator, and Amplifier.”

Under this strategy, first, some fake posts are shared by key accounts (initiation), then through various networks, those posts are spread throughout social media (proliferation), and finally, some foreign accounts further supplement these narratives (amplification). Investigation revealed that many of the accounts shaping the narrative were operated from India, while numerous accounts responsible for amplifying and spreading the messages appeared to originate from Afghanistan. The Times of Iran News is one of the most prominent media handles based in India, disseminating false narratives against Pakistan.

The emergence of artificial intelligence has provided a great impetus to the traditional disinformation campaigns. And India is extensively leveraging this opportunity. The Indo-Pak May 2025 conflict is its best manifestation. A fake film of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitting military defeat in India’s Operation Sindoor was shared on several popular social media sites. Even though the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) labeled it a hoax, the initial speed with which it went viral prompted the worry that internal perception needed to be managed.

In addition, the Grok AI feature added to the X platform has further worsened the situation. Now, there isn’t a need for a real person or team to spread a narrative. Rather, the AI bot created will itself disseminate anti-adversary statements and reply to comments or any post that it considers against it. These events confirm that AI has become an inevitable part of modern cognitive wars.

Domestic Disinformation Campaign 

India is not only disseminating misinformation against outside players; rather, the Indian government, notably under the Modi administration, is using fake opinions and censorship to manipulate public opinion. India is rewriting its history using lies and factual errors. PM Modi was shown in chains in a cartoon named ‘Ananda Vikatan’ following the deportation of undocumented Indians from the United States. Such parodies are considered fake news by the government, even though the government itself is known to promote fake news that supports its view of India’s ‘greatness.’

Disinformation campaigns by India against Pakistan would only create mistrust between the two. 

When a state feels threatened, such false flag operations have the tendency to lead to conflicts or even wars.

Pakistan’s already volatile domestic political situation could be emboldened through such anti-state fake news and narratives.

What Pakistan Should Do?

One of the major impacts of disinformation campaigns against a targeted state is on the public nerves, which can be easily intensified. Therefore, the government of Pakistan should primarily focus on media literacy, creating awareness amongst the public, in particular the youth. It could be embedded in the national educational curriculum. Secondly, to counter Indian narratives, Pakistan should itself create a media network, propagating the actual position and narrative of the state. 

The recently released drama serial ‘Jahannam Barasta e Jannat’ is its best manifestation. Likewise, Pakistan should grab international attention towards this matter and collaborate with foreign organizations to counter Indian narratives. A special media task force could be created to oversee and expose the disinformation networks against the state. Official messages should be conveyed to the various social media companies to block such fake narratives or content emanating from unreliable sources. 

The recent Indian propaganda against Pakistan to undermine its efforts for peace and cessation of hostilities in the Middle East once again reminded us of the evolving nature of the Indian counterfeit projects. The embedding of artificial intelligence is another major obstacle to clearly differentiating between original and fake content. From the grassroots to the state level, there is an urgent need to counter and reduce the impact of disinformation campaigns by India, preserving Pakistan’s national and international prestige. 

“Disinformation is more than just lying: it’s the denial and twisting of reality in order to present some desired image to the rest of the world.” (Will Hurd)

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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.

He is pursuing a BS in International Relations programme from International Islamic University, Islamabad and has a keen interest in research works, policy analysis, defence and strategic studies and conflict resolution.

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