Several Indian news sites have become a laughingstock for the world after by posting fake news about Pakistan invading Afghanistan this week. Arnab Goswami’s ‘claim’ about ISI’s presence on the 5th floor of Serena Hotel in Kabul only added insult to the injury.
Following the nonsensical claims of Indian media in general and Goswami’s chanel in particular, the Republic media website has been banned in Pakistan for spreading fake and inaccurate news on their forum.
While what these outlets have done sounds silly, it is not the first time this has happened. Indian media has a lengthy history of fabricating news, which has been debunked numerous times. Its far rightist media wings have time and again violated media ethics for the persuasion of their pro-nationalist agenda.
The first to spread false information is India’s right-wing broadcaster Republic TV, which on Monday used exclusive footage from Hasti TV, an Afghan TV channel in the United Kingdom, to claim that the Pakistani air force had struck Afghanistan’s Panjshir region. In this regard, it also posted photos of Pakistani celebrities Shaan and Umair Jaswal and called them Pakistani commandos but in reality, they were dressed in military costumes for their shoot.
Several Indian network’s primary goal is to damage Pakistan’s international standing and sway UN Human Rights Council decision-making. These networks not only mis-use their broadcasting rights but they also create an entire network of fake accounts by Pakistani names on social media. These accounts can be seen making anti-state remarks on official pages of various institutions. However, unbiased research organizations have exposed the dark side of far rightist Indian media on multiple occasions.
