For 15 years, a nefarious network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) used fake websites, lobbying and a dead professor to distribute pro-India propaganda for both foreign and domestic audiences, according to a report by EU DisinfoLab. Through the use of over 10 UN Human Rights Council accredited NGOs, the group behind the fake websites reportedly lobbied Members of European Parliament (MEP), think tanks and fake news websites. This network was active in Brussels and Geneva in producing and amplifying content designed to, primarily, undermine Pakistan, the report says. The actors behind these operations also impersonated senior politicians, journalists and media organisations, had fake addresses and phone numbers, and registered over 750 media websites and over 550 domain names for their network. This included NGOs, think-tanks, media, European Parliament informal groups, religious and Imam organizations, obscure publishing companies and public personalities. The report states that New-Delhi based Srivastava Group in partnership with the Women’s Economic and Social Think-Tank, which had sponsored the trip of 27 MEPs to visit Kashmir and had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Srivastava Group describes itself as one of “the fastest growing business houses in the country with interests in Natural resources, Clean energy, Airspace, Consulting services, Healthcare, Print Media and Publishing.” Disinfo Lab is independent non-profit organisation that investigates disinformation campaigns targeting the European Union. Fake media outlets and role of ANI In 2019, DisinfoLab found a network of 265 fake media entities, in 65 countries publishing anti-Pakistani material and how the actors behind the fake…
