India Is Speading Fake News Against Pakistan Through Through Fake Indian Media Outlets

EU Disinfo Lab, an independent NGO, has uncovered at least 265 “coordinated fake local media outlets” in more than 65 countries that are managed by the “Indian influence network”. According to the report, the network was “designed to influence the EU and UN by repeatedly criticising Pakistan.” The report said that the EU Disinformation Task Force revealed in October that a website “eptoday.com” had been re-publishing content from Russia Today and Voice of America. It added that EU Disinfo Lab “found a large number of articles and op-eds related to minorities in Pakistan as well as other India-related matters”. It was discovered that the website was being managed by think tanks, NGOs and companies from the Indian Srivastava Group. “We also found that the IP address of the Srivastava Group is also home to the obscure online media “New Delhi Times” and the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies (IINS), which are all based at the same address in New Delhi, India,” the report said. The report also identified “Times of Geneva”, an online newspaper, as a source of anti-Pakistan news stories. This online newspaper publishes the same type of content as EP Today and produces videos criticizing Pakistan’s role in the Kashmir conflict. Here are some findings from these websites highlighted by the EU Disinfo Lab in its report: Most of them are named after an extinct local newspaper or spoof real media outlets; They republish content from several news agencies (KCNA, Voice of America, Interfax); Coverage of the same Indian-related demonstrations and events; Republications of anti-Pakistan content from the described Indian network (including EP Today, 4NewsAgency, Times Of Geneva, New Delhi Times); Most websites have a Twitter account as well. The report said that the creation of these fake media outlets is aimed at influencing “public perceptions of Pakistan” and influencing international institutions and elected representatives.