Investigative report exposes Indian media’s fake news campaign

A 22-page investigative report by Fake News Watchdog has been released, detailing the destructive effects of fake news and negative propaganda of Indian media surrounding the Jaffar Express attack.

The report analyzed the negative social media campaign that took place between March 11 and 13, exposing the collaboration between the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Indian media.

The report indicates that the Indian media, BLA, and members of a Pakistani political party were actively involved in the misinformation campaign.

It highlighted that old incidents and AI-generated content were falsely linked to the Jafar Express attack. It revealed that AI-generated fake images of deceased soldiers were circulated from Afghan-based accounts, and a video of Afghan refugees was misrepresented as footage of the kidnapped passengers.

The report disclosed that Indian accounts repeatedly shared a four-year-old video, broadcasted fake videos and accounts as breaking news, and portrayed the attackers as heroes.

It further uncovered that a Pakistani political party member spread a false tweet about the train driver’s death. A controversial post from an official account of a political party regarding abducted women sparked public outrage, as per the report.

The Fake News Watchdog strongly condemned Indian media’s role, calling it shameful and against journalistic ethics. In contrast, Pakistani media was praised for responsible reporting during the crisis. The watchdog emphasized that India’s disinformation campaign aimed to destabilize Pakistan and strengthen separatist narratives.

The report also highlighted that the press conference by the DG ISPR played a crucial role in countering fake news, while legal action was initiated against three individuals involved in the disinformation campaign.

The Fake News Watchdog cautioned that the Jaffar Express attack was a disturbing example of information warfare, emphasizing the urgent need to counter disinformation.

It called on the government to implement emergency measures and proposed several initiatives, including workshops on disinformation for both government and private organizations, seminars for youth to raise awareness about misinformation, and immediate action by journalist organizations to curb the spread of fake news.