A New York Times (NYT) article titled “The Battle for the World’s Most Powerful Cyberweapon” published today, claims that Indian Prime Minister Modi bought the controversial Pegasus spyware from Israel as part of a mega $2 billion deal in 2017.
To clarify, Pegasus is a spying software made by an Israeli company called NSO Group. The Israeli government controls and regulates its exports.
July 2021, a global consortium of media groups revealed several governments around the world used Pegasus to spy on opponents. India was one of them. However, neither the Indian government nor the Israeli government admitted that India bought Pegasus.
India and Israel inked the deal when Modi visited then Israeli PM Netanyahu in 2017. The visit was landmark as Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Israel, setting the tone for their relations. Pertinent to mention, before Modi, India had a pro-Palestinian stance.
Read more: Israeli malware ‘Pegasus’ implanted on all iPhone devices: Report
“For decades, India had maintained a policy of what it called “commitment to the Palestinian cause,” and relations with Israel were frosty. The Modi visit, however, was notably cordial, complete with a carefully staged moment of him and Prime Minister Netanyahu walking together barefoot on a local beach. They had a reason for the warm feelings,” the NYT article notes.
“Their countries had agreed on the sale of a package of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear worth roughly $2 billion — with Pegasus and a missile system as the centerpieces. Months later, Netanyahu made a rare state visit to India. And in June 2019, India voted in support of Israel at the U.N.’s Economic and Social Council to deny observer status to a Palestinian human rights organization, a first for the nation,” NYT further added.
India targets PM Imran Khan
Interestingly, the article also highlighted how the spyware was sold to countries despite their recorded violation of human rights.
“Though the Israeli government’s oversight was meant to prevent the powerful spyware from being used in repressive ways, Pegasus has been sold to Poland, Hungary and India, despite those countries’ questionable records on human rights,” the report noted.
Read more: UN report on excessive use of force and violations of human rights in India
“Though the Israeli government’s oversight was meant to prevent the powerful spyware from being used in repressive ways, Pegasus has been sold to Poland, Hungary and India, despite those countries’ questionable records on human rights.”, NYT report! https://t.co/FcHRkuJfCT
— M K Venu (@mkvenu1) January 28, 2022
India also targeted Pakistan with the Pegasus spyware. According to the US-based Washington Post, more than 1,000 phone numbers in India appeared on the surveillance list while hundreds were from Pakistan. This included the one PM Imran Khan once used.
Furthermore, a report in The Sunday Guardian of India claimed that India used Pegasus to hack the mobile phones of around 30 Pakistani government servants. These included serving army generals, officials attached with the ISI, and senior bureaucrats.
Read more: Pegasus Project: Spyware Scandal targeting Indian & Pakistani leadership
Pertinent to mention, apart from spying, India frequently launches a disinformation campaign against Pakistan. For example, India claimed that Pakistani Air Force conducted airstrikes in Panjshir. They played footage from a video game as “proof”. EU Disinfo Lab, an NGO that specializes in disinformation campaigns, exposed India’s 15-year-long disinformation campaign to hurt Pakistan.