India: The world champion of Misinformation

(Dr Syed Mehboob, Karachi)

India is the largest so-called “Democratic Country” in the world. Indian propaganda and misinformation weapons are so lethal and destructive that it dazzled the international community’s eyes with its economic growth, advancement in IT technology, and the biggest consumer market in the world therefore world policy makers have closed their eyes from the gross human rights violation in India. The fact is India is the worst place on earth for minorities and women. Similarly, it is the world champion of misinformation and propaganda. For the last fifteen years, a well-planned organized investment of billions of dollars India waged a war of misinformation and negative propaganda against Pakistan.

Its misinformation campaign was so powerful, and misleading that it illusioned and poisoned millions of minds against Pakistan. The campaign was so vast that it had a network of 10 NGOS accredited UN Human rights council, more than 750 fake media in 116 countries, it never shied to resurrect dead people and presented them as UN human rights activists with false reports, analysis and opinion about Pakistan. It had 550 websites domain names registered and they were busy day night spreading false, fabricated, concocted information , data, and analysis against Pakistan. The activity of Indian propaganda commanders was so shameful that they used the honorable name of Professor Louis B. Sohn who is considered the “ grandfather of international human rights law in the United States. His name was high-jacked by Indian misinformation champions. Indians used the European Union fake magazine” EP Today”. The self-proclaimed magazine for the EU parliament in Brussles was serving as a honeypot for the members of the EU parliament and other politicians who were serving for Indian interests and undermining Pakistan. Some of these politicians and members of EU parliaments attended United Nations side events, press conferences, and demonstrations organized by minority rights NGOs and poisoned the minds of millions with false, fabricated and fake information. This act is so shameful for a country that always shows its positive sides only while in fact its hands are filled with the blood of millions of minorities especially Muslims in India. In partnership with the women’s Economic and Social Think Tank based Srivastava Group sponsored 27 Members of the EU parliament to visit Kashmir and met with the butcher of Gujrat “Narendra Modi”. Many Fake NGOs including the “Commission to study the organization of peace” was used for this purpose. Although it was registered with the UN economic and social council it was inactive since the 1970s and its chairman died in 2006. Indian lobby used its platform and its founder’s name illegally and misled the world community. If one single EU parliamentarian had given any statement against Pakistan it was presented as the opinion of the whole European Union Parliament.

There are many so-called intellectuals, journalists, social media activists and you tubers in Pakistan who used these information and helped Indians to spread their false and poisonous propaganda to syringe into the minds of Pakistanis as well. It must be clear in mind that in modern world media, information, analysis and data is part of war which much more effective than traditional weapons and India is very much expert of using this weapon. There is a need that Pakistanis must be very careful when getting data and information from Indian sources specially those who are not aware of misinformation and modern technique of war. In this way some of people might mislead people inadvertently. Information must be carefully monitored and must be got the pinion of some experts who spent decades in this field. There should be Pakistani Think Tanks like, Pakistan Thinkers’ Forum “who should do necessary efforts to counter Indian negative propaganda. Pakistani politicians and media are indulged unnecessary, fruitless and harmful internal war and they ignored false, fabricated and poisonous propaganda of India against Pakistan.

It is unfortunate that Hindu extremism is growing rapidly in India and Muslims are the soft target of extremists. It is worth mentioning that India has an extremist government led by Narandera Modi which is following the ideology of RSS. Indian father of the nation, originator and founder Mohandas Gandhi was killed by Nathoram Godse a follower of RSS philosophy. Gandhi wanted to give rights to Muslims therefore extremists disliked him badly and resulted in the assassination of him. Anti-Muslim riots history is long but is increased phenomenally after BJP got power in 2014. BJP has been the ruling political party of India since 2014. It is a right-wing party pursuing the ideology of Hindu nationalism following the footsteps of Rashtriya Swayamasevak Sangh popularly known as RSS. As of 2022, it is the country‘s largest political party in terms of representation in the national parliament and state assemblies. The BJP’s Hindutva ideology has been reflected in many of its government policies. It supported the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site of the Babri Masjid and the issue was the major poll campaign in the 1991 general elections and resulted in the demolition of the historical Babri Masjid in a BJP rally in 1992 and Hindu Muslim divide was widened. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder, and originator of Pakistan felt this Hindutva dominance much ago and it proved true during the BJP regime. RSS or The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh initially did not recognize the Constitution of India, strongly criticizing it because the Indian Constitution made no mention of "Manu's laws" from the ancient Hindu text Manuscript. When the Constituent Assembly finalized the constitution, the RSS mouthpiece, the Organizer, complained in an editorial dated 30 November 1949. So following RSS ideas meant destroying the fabric of unity of India and letting “Two Nation Theory “to emerge again. Recently Hindu Extremists Call for Killing of Muslims, India’s Leaders Keep Silent Right-wing Hindu activists at a conference took an oath to harm Muslims if necessary to make “a Hindu-only nation,” the most blatant example of rising anti-Muslim sentiments across India. Hundreds of right-wing Hindu activists and monks rose in unison at a conference this week to take an oath:

“They would turn India, constitutionally a secular republic, into a Hindu nation, even if doing so required dying and killing. “If 100 of us are ready to kill two million of them, then we will win and make India a Hindu nation,” said Pooja Shakun Pandey, a leader of Hindu Mahasabha, a group that espouses militant Hindu nationalism, referring to the country’s Muslims. “Be ready to kill and go to jail.” Even by the standards of the rising anti-Muslim fury in India, the three-day conference in the city of Haridwar, 150 miles north of New Delhi, produced the most blatant and alarming call for violence in recent years. The crowded auditorium, where right-wing Hindu monks called for other Hindus to arm themselves and kill Muslims, included influential religious leaders with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing party, and even some members of the party. Realizing the dire consequence of this anti-Muslim move five ex-army chiefs, high civil officers, and prominent citizens wrote a letter to President and Prime Minister of India against this genocide call by Hindu extremists and terrorists. True Hindus do not believe on such hatred campaign and they are worried about the integrity and unity of India. If timely action was not taken then Pakistan and Khalistan are not very far while Kashmiris are already struggling for independence from India.

Now another worst and the ugliest example of Islamophobia is India’s ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) continued to give derogatory remarks against the most revered and sacred personality whom Michael H.Hert declared as the most influential personality since human history has been recorded. BJP’s national spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and Delhi media operation head Naveen Jindal were backed by Ameet Shah Indian Home Minister. So it is clear that Anti-Muslim and hatred agenda is backed by a very high level among the ruling party.

Saudi Arabia joined a host of Muslim countries including Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iran, and Pakistan, that took strong exception to derogatory remarks made against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by leaders of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to an Indian daily, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and another party leader, Naveen Kumar Jindal, made disrespectful remarks about the Prophet (PBUH) and after worldwide condemnation, India’s ruling party had to distance itself from their statements, announcing disciplinary action against the duo. Qatar, Kuwait, and Iran summoned India’s envoy to register their protest on Sunday, while Pakistan issued a strong demarche to the Indian charge d’affaires on Monday. Qatar has sought a public apology from India for allowing such “Islamophobic” views without retribution.

Kuwait, in a statement, said it had handed over an “official protest note expressing the State of Kuwait’s categorical rejection and condemnation of the insulting statements against the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Islam and Muslims issued by one of the officials in the ruling party”. Saudi Arabia also issued a statement condemning the remarks and called for respect for religions. President Dr. Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called out the comments made by the BJP leaders. The president noted that the remarks had hurt the feelings of Muslims around the world. “India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindutva philosophy is trampling religious freedoms of all its minorities and persecuting them without any impunity

Qatar said it is “expecting a public apology and immediate condemnation of these remarks from the Government of India”. It noted that allowing such Islamophobic remarks to continue without punishment constituted a grave danger to the protection of human rights and may lead to further prejudice and marginalization, which will create a cycle of violence and hate. Meanwhile, Pakistan said the remarks made by two officials of the ruling BJP were “totally unacceptable” as they hurt the sentiments of billions of Muslims around the world. A day later, Pakistan summoned the Indian charge d’ affaires in Islamabad and issued a strong demarche. Meanwhile, the grand Mufti of Oman, Sheikh Ahmad bins Hamad Al-Khalil, tweeted that the “obscene” comments of the spokesperson of India’s ruling party amounted to a “war against every Muslim”.OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha also said that the BJP leaders’ remarks came in “context of intensifying hatred and abuse toward Islam in India and systematic practices against Muslims”.

It is now too much and all the redlines had been crossed by India and its ruling party. Muslim Ummah should take a unanimous and united stance against India and force it to give equal and constitutional right to Indian Muslims and stop atrocities and pre-planned genocide of Kashmiri Muslims to restore peace in the region. UNO and EU should also take notice of such hatred and Anti-Muslims campaign in India and condemn the serious human rights violation in India.

Dr Syed Mehboob
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