A renewed disinformation campaign targeting Pakistan has been launched by Indian state-linked media outlets in collaboration with known terrorist figures, according to official sources. The campaign, allegedly orchestrated by India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), seeks to malign Pakistan’s international image following India’s recent military and diplomatic setbacks.
At the centre of the controversy is The Sunday Guardian, an Indian media outlet widely regarded as a mouthpiece of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The newspaper has published multiple articles authored by Ehsanullah Ehsan, the former spokesperson of banned terrorist outfits Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, and one of the principal accused in the 2014 Army Public School (APS) massacre in Peshawar.
Security experts and Pakistani officials have condemned the publication of content by a globally designated terrorist, calling it a clear violation of journalistic ethics and a dangerous precedent of mainstreaming terror-linked narratives. “The very fact that a wanted terrorist has been given author status in a mainstream Indian publication reveals the depth of desperation and the extent of the Indian state’s disinformation tactics,” a senior Pakistani security official told the media.
According to intelligence assessments, Ehsanullah Ehsan is reportedly living under the protection of the Afghan intelligence agency GDI and is allegedly on RAW’s payroll — claims that further support Pakistan’s position that India is using proxies to wage hybrid warfare against the country.
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*The Sunday Guardian“, founded by former BJP minister M.J. Akbar, who resigned in 2018 amid multiple #MeToo allegations, has a history of running anti-Pakistan content. Analysts argue that the platform is now being actively used to “weaponise counterterrorism narratives” against Pakistan and to mask India’s own strategic failures in the region.
This is not the first time India has been accused of running an international disinformation campaign. The 2020 EU DisinfoLab report uncovered a massive, decade-long operation involving over 750 fake media outlets in 119 countries, all aimed at discrediting Pakistan and manipulating global opinion.
“The recent publication of terrorist-penned articles in Indian media is simply a continuation of the same playbook,” said a regional security analyst. “It reveals how far India is willing to go to distort narratives and destabilise Pakistan’s security and reputation.”
Pakistan, for its part, reiterated that it maintains zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Officials stated that the state is actively combating a new wave of terrorism allegedly sponsored by India and being executed through Afghan-based networks. “Falsehoods, fabricated narratives, and propaganda will not succeed in misleading the international community,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.
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The use of media platforms to amplify the voice of a known terrorist, observers warn, poses serious risks not only to Pakistan’s security but also to regional stability and the integrity of global counterterrorism efforts.
