Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday that investigators had uncovered an India-linked digital propaganda network aimed at spreading disinformation and anti-state content in Pakistan. A social media campaign linked to the Joint Action Committee (JAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has been funded from across the border.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Tarar said security agencies had recently arrested a person providing digital marketing services whose activities had links to India.
He revealed that investigators found that payments for promoting and amplifying social media content in Pakistan were made through payment gateways originating from India.
“During the investigation, it came to light that an entire disinformation network was operating through bot farms,” Tarar said, adding that the network was used to spread “anti-state content” targeting Pakistan, its institutions, the government, the armed forces and the army chief.
According to the minister, investigators attributed much of the promoted content to campaigns surrounding the JAC in AJK.
“We were saying from day one that this JAC wanted to weaken Kashmir-Pakistan relations,” Tarar said the move was part of a larger conspiracy rather than a campaign for Kashmiri rights.
Read: AJK suspends 20 education employees following JAAC protest
He also questioned why the group did not participate in the democratic process if it truly represented public interests.
Referring to previous protests in Azad Kashmir, Tarar accused the committee of encouraging violence, creating law and order problems and taking law into its own hands by blocking roads and organizing armed protests.
The minister said authorities now had “irrefutable evidence” linking the campaign to India.
“There is no longer any doubt that its links lead to India, and we now have undeniable proof,” he said.
Tarar said social media campaigns supporting the JAC were funded from India, revealing that technical investigations had traced the payments.
“All payments for Joint Action Committee social media content came from India, and this was established through technical data,” he said.
He further said that investigators recovered WhatsApp conversations between the arrested suspect and an Indian operator discussing payments, targeted audience and account details.
According to Tarar, the payments were transferred in small amounts to avoid detection by financial monitoring systems.
It also revealed that forensic investigators traced the origin of several online accounts to India despite the use of virtual private networks (VPNs).
“When a VPN hides a user’s location, the device itself can still be identified during forensic analysis. This is how these India-based accounts were detected,” he said.
Tarar said the government was also examining the digital payment gateways used in the operation and promised that authorities would continue to denounce what he called coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Learn more: JAAC uses “social media to incite people”
He further said that the network promoted bigotry, anti-state narratives and content against the armed forces through coordinated bot activities.
The minister argued that such campaigns were aimed at damaging public trust in state institutions, but insisted they would not succeed.
“No one can weaken Pakistan. Such propaganda and disinformation campaigns will continue to be denounced by the government, the armed forces and our security institutions,” Tarar said.
Tarar displayed examples of social media posts related to the investigation, saying they aimed to incite violence, spread misinformation and undermine state institutions.
“These posts are linked to the JAC. They encourage people to rebel and contain propaganda against the army, the country and state institutions,” Tarar said.
He said the material encouraged “violence, hatred and false propaganda” and had been distributed on various social media platforms to influence public opinion.
Tarar said the investigation into the arrested suspect continues and additional digital evidence has already been recovered.
“AI-generated images were used, while old videos and footage from other countries and locations were falsely presented as incidents in Kashmir,” Tarar said.
The minister said the campaign also aimed to stoke sectarian tensions and create divisions within society.
Also read: Rangers personnel martyred in Rawalakot attack by banned JAAC armed groups
Tarar said combating disinformation was the government’s responsibility and “we will continue to do so with technical expertise, just as we exposed this plot,” he said.
He added that Pakistan’s international standing had improved and the government would continue to work to safeguard the country’s reputation.
