Tarar claims India-linked digital propaganda network targeted Pakistan through online drive

• Information Minister says investigators traced funding for JAC-linked social media campaign to payment gateways originating from India

• Claim bot farms, AI-generated content and recycled videos were used to spread anti-state narratives and misinformation

• Says forensic probe allegedly uncovers WhatsApp chats, digital payment trails and India-based online accounts despite VPN masking

 ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Sunday said investigators had uncovered an India-linked digital propaganda network allegedly orchestrating misinformation and anti-state content in Pakistan, claiming that a social media campaign associated with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was financed from across the border.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Tarar said security agencies had recently arrested an individual providing digital marketing services whose activities, according to investigators, were linked to India.

He said the investigation revealed that payments used to promote and amplify social media content in Pakistan were routed through payment gateways originating from India.

"During the investigation, it emerged that an entire misinformation network was operating through bot farms," Tarar said, adding that the network was used to disseminate what he described as "anti-state content" targeting Pakistan, its institutions, the government, the armed forces and the army chief.

According to the minister, investigators traced a significant portion of the promoted content to online campaigns surrounding the JAC in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

"We had been saying from day one that this JAC wanted to weaken the relationship between Kashmir and Pakistan," Tarar said, alleging that the movement formed part of a broader conspiracy rather than a campaign for the rights of Kashmiris.

He also questioned why the group had not participated in the democratic process if it genuinely represented public interests.

Referring to previous protests in Azad Kashmir, Tarar accused the committee of encouraging violence, creating law and order problems and taking the law into its own hands by blocking roads and organizing armed demonstrations.

The minister said authorities now possessed what he described as "irrefutable evidence" linking the campaign to India.

"There should no longer be any doubt that its links lead to India, and we now have undeniable evidence," he said.

Tarar further alleged that social media campaigns supporting the JAC had been financed from India, saying technical investigations had traced the payments.

"All the payments for the Joint Action Committee's social media content were coming from India, and this has been established through technical data," he said.

He said investigators had also recovered WhatsApp conversations between the arrested suspect and an alleged Indian operator discussing payments, targeted viewership and account details.

According to Tarar, payments were transferred in small amounts to avoid detection by financial monitoring systems.

The minister also said forensic investigators had traced the origin of several online accounts to India despite attempts to conceal their locations through virtual private networks (VPNs).

"When a VPN masks a user's location, the device itself can still be identified during forensic analysis. That is how these India-based accounts were detected," he said.

Tarar said the government was also examining the digital payment gateways allegedly used in the operation and vowed that authorities would continue exposing what he called coordinated disinformation campaigns.

He further alleged that the network promoted sectarianism, anti-state narratives and content targeting the armed forces through coordinated bot activity.

The minister maintained that such campaigns were intended to undermine public confidence in state institutions but insisted they would not succeed.

"No one can weaken Pakistan. Such propaganda and misinformation campaigns will continue to be exposed by the government, the armed forces and our security institutions," Tarar said.

During the press conference, Tarar displayed examples of social media posts linked to the investigation, saying they were designed to incite violence, spread misinformation and undermine state institutions.

"These posts are related to the JAC. They encourage people to rebel and contain propaganda against the army, the country and state institutions," he said.

According to the minister, the material promoted "violence, hatred and false propaganda" and was circulated across multiple social media platforms to influence public opinion.

Tarar said the investigation into the arrested suspect was continuing and that additional digital evidence had already been recovered.

He further alleged that the network had used AI-generated images, while old videos and footage from other countries were falsely presented as incidents from Kashmir.

"The campaign also sought to fuel sectarian tensions and create divisions within society," he said.

Tarar said countering misinformation remained the government's responsibility.

"We will continue to do so with technical expertise, just as we have exposed this conspiracy," he said.

The minister added that Pakistan's international standing had improved and reaffirmed the government's commitment to safeguarding the country's reputation.