This time, Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), a Stanford University organization studying the abuse of the internet, has busted a nefarious Indian online network that was working to defame Pakistan.
For the umpteenth time, a renowned global internet watchdog has exposed India for projecting anti-Pakistan propaganda on the international stage.
1,198 accounts that tweeted about India and Pakistan were included in one of the datasets. The network was shut down for breaking Twitter's policy against platform manipulation and spam. According to Twitter, India was the country of origin for this particular dataset.
In addition to English, the network also tweeted in Hindi and Urdu. The reports purported to be from "proud Kashmiris" who identified themselves as the kin of Indian soldiers.
According to SIO, the network disparaged the militaries of Pakistan and China while applauding Indian military operations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). It also frequently targeted individuals who disagreed with the Indian government.
Network Overview
SIO claims that the network was the most active in 2021. However, by March 2021, Twitter had suspended most of the accounts within the network.
The network frequently tweeted using hashtags that were related to IIOJK and Indian and Pakistani armies. The most commonly used hashtag was ‘Kashmir’ which generated nearly 40,000 tweets. Other hashtags were ‘Pakistan’, ‘India’, ‘Indian Army’, and ‘Pakistan Army.’
Anti-Pakistan
The network used to project rallies in Balochistan as anti-Pakistan protests. They accused the Pakistani army of committing human rights abuses. Tweets claimed that Pakistan is not safe for Hindus, and Pakistan abandoned its citizens in China when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The network also criticized women’s rights in Pakistan.
Anti-China
Along with disparaging the Pakistani military, the network frequently portrayed the Indian army as being superior to the Chinese military. According to the article, Chinese soldiers are cowards while Indian soldiers are brave. The network praised the Indian soldiers who lost their lives in battles with the Chinese army as heroes. It also attributed the failure of the Indian army's expeditions to dishonest Chinese military strategies.
