Key facilitator of foreign-funded digital propaganda network arrested

ISLAMABAD: Law enforcement agencies have arrested a key suspect accused of facilitating a foreign-funded digital propaganda network that allegedly used online marketing services as a cover to promote hostile narratives targeting Pakistan, said highly placed government officials.

Investigators said the suspect confessed during interrogation to providing digital marketing and online promotional services for a specific agenda in return for substantial financial payments.

According to the investigation, the network allegedly routed foreign funds into Pakistan through international payment platforms, including Stripe, Payoneer and bank accounts based in the United Kingdom, while disguising the transactions as legitimate commercial activity.

Officials said the probe revealed that the network received contracts worth more than Rs3.6 million to systematically amplify fabricated and misleading content across major social media platforms, including TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

Authorities alleged that the campaign sought to create mistrust between the armed forces and the public, undermine confidence in state institutions and destabilise the country's law and order situation. Investigators further claimed that the operation promoted what they described as misleading narratives relating to Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the banned Joint Awami Action Committee.

During interrogation, the suspect allegedly disclosed that dormant social media accounts bearing Pakistani identities were operated through virtual private networks (VPNs) and automation tools to conceal their actual locations.

Officials said digital forensic analysis linked the network's devices, digital footprints and IP addresses to India and several other foreign locations. Investigators have secured email records, financial transactions and order histories, which they said would help expand the investigation and identify additional facilitators.

Digital media experts cited by the authorities cautioned that high numbers of views, likes or shares on social media should not be regarded as evidence of authenticity, warning that repeated circulation of false information does not make it credible.

They also stressed the need to improve digital literacy among citizens, particularly young people, to help them critically assess online content and recognise coordinated disinformation campaigns.

The experts further called for stricter oversight of international financial transactions linked to digital platforms, along with enhanced monitoring mechanisms to counter foreign-funded online influence operations targeting Pakistan.