India’s traditions of framing narratives to harm Pakistan and defend its aggressive stance have been a concern for regional stability. The current incident in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where tourists were targeted, is another tragedy that justifies blaming Pakistan. Indian media is starting a disinformation campaign, easily blaming Pakistan without any evidence or investigation. India is using what seems to be a false flag operation to incite nationalism and prepare the case for a surgical strike to divert public attention from internal issues and global criticism. Such strategies serve only to hinder the long-standing endeavor to bring peace and stability to the region.
This is not the first time that India has started propaganda against Pakistan. One of the first and most shocking examples was the hijacking of the Ganga plane in 1971. When an Indian Airline plane was hijacked by two Kashmiri separatist brothers and transferred to Lahore. The hijackers later surrendered to the Pakistani authorities, but India used the incident to start a disinformation campaign against Pakistan and enforced a ban on Pakistani overflights. As a result of this propaganda, the relationship between the East and West Pakistan was severely impacted, eventually leading to East Pakistan’s separation from West Pakistan and the establishment of Bangladesh as an independent state.
Moving ahead to 2016, India’s claims of a surgical strike following the Uri attack were an effort to prove military expertise and domestic stability. Indian media used it as a great victory for their political interests before the elections. Despite insufficient proof, India exploited the incident for their purposes.
In 2019, following the Pulwama attack in which dozens of Indian paramilitary personnel were killed, India, through propaganda techniques, also blamed Pakistan. India carried out an airstrike in Balakot, asserting that it had eliminated a terrorist training facility. Although eyewitness accounts and satellite imagery challenged India’s allegations, showing limited damage, including quite comically only a few trees and one single building. In response, Pakistan responded calmly and handled the situation very well by arresting and then freeing the Indian pilot Abhinandan.
India is currently exploiting the Pahalgam incident to spread false information against Pakistan, claiming that Pakistan is behind cross-border terrorism, a charge Pakistan denies. For instance, India asserted that one colonel was targeted in the Pahalgam attack by Pakistani terrorists. However, a video later went viral in which a similar person turned up, stating that he was alive and not associated with the army.
After analyzing the Pahalgam incident, experts conclude that India might use such manufactured incidents to divert from international criticism of its own human rights abuses in Kashmir and create a fake security issue to shift attention. Secondly, with over 800,000 Indian military troops deployed in the region it raises questions about India’s internal security regulation. The fact that such an incident occurred under such heavy military presence is India’s failure to ensure security. Moreover, India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty after the incident was criticized as an irresponsible and illegal move.
Following the incident, the international community needs to take notice of India’s fake news and disinformation campaigns. Secondly India is trying to disengage the Indus Waters Treaty through unilateral action and disinformation campaigns. However, such specious assertions and political interests cannot weaken and negate an international agreement. Moreover, on the broader implications, the fascist policies of the Modi Regime cause a serious threat to regional stability. The Pahalgam incident is a calculated step/false flag operation launched by the Modi government to promote a political agenda. Blaming Pakistan for such events has been a part of India’s established practice.
In response to the Pahalgam incident, it would be beneficial to call for an independent UN investigation into the Pahalgam incident. To assure accurate reporting, the use of digital diplomacy via infographics, visuals, and documentaries which show human rights violations in Indian administrated Kashmir should be employed. Also, cooperation with international civil society organizations to urge India on global platforms, combat disinformation through trained media analysts, and promote Kashmir-focused content needs to be done. Additionally, India must undertake negotiations with the other party and peace proponents to address concerns and start private diplomacy. The Pahalgam incident demonstrates an alarming pattern of India’s false flag operations and disinformation campaigns to damage Pakistan’s position in the international community. India will use this incident against Pakistan to distract from its domestic challenges and divert global attention from human rights abuses in Kashmir. In the past, from the hijacking of Ganga in 1971 to the Pulwama attack in 2019, India has engaged in disinformation campaigns to serve its strategic and political interests at the cost of regional peace and stability. The ongoing Pahalgam incident also follows the same path, again threatening peace in the region. Therefore, it is important to combat these narratives via independent UN negotiations, international cooperation, and digital diplomacy. The Indian government must engage with peace-promoting Indian citizens, ensure that truth and justice prevail over political interests.
Ms Shahwana Binte Sohail is Research Assistant at the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Islamabad.
