The Indian media has started a relentless campaign to defame Pakistan’s security institutions. According to the details, Indian media is accusing Pakistan Army of ‘controlling’ the Sindh police which, as per reports circulating in Indian media, led to a ‘civil-war-like’ situation in the country. Political analysts also noted that the verified accounts on Twitter are also deliberately spreading fake news about Pakistan’s internal situation.
Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, noted that the Indian media is “falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare”.
Indian disinformation accounts are exploiting Pakistan's current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability. Dangerous and disturbing; several of these accounts are verified, with large followings. Ugh.
— Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) October 21, 2020
Anchorperson Fareeha Idrees noted that after facing failure in Occupied Kashmir, “India [is] openly invoking and exploiting internal political turmoil.”
Fifth generation warfare, its neither simple nor harmless. Planned propaganda matched with coverage of Indian and some other international news outlets. Deterred by the failure at Loc and in Kashmir India openly invoking and exploiting internal political turmoil.
— Fereeha M Idrees (@Fereeha) October 21, 2020
What really happened?
It is important to note that several senior officers, including IG Sindh Mushtaq Mahar, have decided to go on leave citing the demoralization of the police force. The development took place after Retired Captain Safdar — Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law and Maryam Nawaz’s spouse—was arrested from Karachi. The IGP Sindh was reportedly forced to sign arrest orders of Safdar. However, these claims could not be independently verified.
The officials who decided to go leave reportedly include the Additional Inspector General (AIG) Karachi, the AIG Special Branch (whose application for leave has been widely circulated) and several Deputy Inspectors General (DIG) of police.
An application signed by AIG Special Branch Imran Yaqoob, which has been making the rounds on social media, reads that he wishes to proceed on leave because the police high command has been “ridiculed and mishandled”, leading to demoralization within the ranks of Sindh Police.
Read more: Indian Propaganda on Kartarpur is Threat to South Asia’s Peace
Later on, the Sindh government took notice of the matter, and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced to stand by the Sindh police. An “immediate inquiry” has also been ordered by the country’s army chief to ascertain facts. Corps Commander Karachi has been asked to furnish the report as soon as possible.
Why was Captain Safdar arrested?
Retired Captain Safdar was arrested in the early hours of Monday by Sindh Police for, among other charges, allegedly violating the sanctity of Quaid-e-Azam’s Mazar (also called Mazar-e-Quaid).
The sanctity of the Quaid’s Mazar is protected by The Quaid-i-Azam’s Mazar (Protection and Maintenance) Ordinance, 1971, which explicitly forbids political activities within the premises of the mausoleum.
“No person shall organize, convene or take part in any meeting or demonstration or procession or engage in political activity within the premises of Quaid’s mausoleum or within a distance of ten feet from the outer boundary thereof,” reads the law on the matter.
India’s war against Pakistan?
India is accused of using hybrid warfare as a tool to weaken Pakistan and defame it before the world. In this regard, there has been a sufficient amount of evidence in international media. However, Pakistan’s academics and media have not fully reported on it.
The EU DisinfoLab, a European NGO tackling disinformation, recently published its findings on a vast network of fake local news sites in over 65 countries serving Indian interests by repeatedly criticizing Pakistan. A summary of the report has some eye-opening facts for Pakistan.
Pakistani experts and political commentators always maintained that India uses various methods of propaganda to damage its reputation before the international community. Some Pakistani nationalists also claimed that the agenda of India is to defame Pakistan by exaggerating the challenges that the minorities are facing in Pakistan.
“What type of challenges are minorities facing in Pakistan? Don’t we all stand by them whenever there is an attack against them?” a journalist told GVS.
Read more: Propaganda machinery: ISPR slams Indian media
The websites which are more than 265 in number, are designed to influence the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) with the objective of damaging Pakistan, according to the report.