After a tense conflict, India and Pakistan avoided a nuclear disaster in the region with a ceasefire mediated by the US. Things heated up when India launched an unprovoked attack against Pakistan. The operation, referred to as Operation Sindoor, failed to gain global recognition or any justification for India’s aggressive actions. India launched a diplomatic campaign to find some support from the international community, but it too couldn’t prove fruitful.
Indian media fought against truth, morality, and the ethics of journalism with all its force to manipulate, distort, and kill the prevailing truth.
During this war-like situation, the Indian media was also the frontline fighter. However, it fought against truth, morality, and the ethics of journalism with all its might to manipulate, distort, and suppress the prevailing truth. The series of Indian propaganda campaigns did not come under any restriction in the post-ceasefire scenario. Indian media once again has started its usual business of spreading fake news. Linking the global watchdog FATF with an old case from 2020, which falsely accuses Pakistan of financing ballistic missiles. A sane mind must ask about the relevance of ballistic missiles to the subjects of FATF.
Most of the Indian media outlets are owned by Indian oligarchs. Worth mentioning, the ruling party, the BJP, has close relations with renowned Indian business groups, which control more than 72 TV channels and media outlets. Indian corporate media loses its credibility when it comes to authenticity and transparency, which directly reflects its audience. The audience that cares about real or fake news shows how easy it is in India to influence and shape the public perspective.
The recent highlighted case by Indian media is an older case of 2020 when Indian authorities seized a cargo ship which was carrying material used for ballistic missiles, as claimed by the Indian authorities. Linking this case with FATF is the instrumentalization of an international watchdog by Indian corporate media. It is nothing but a disgraceful act of polarizing international technical bodies. The politically motivated Indian corporate media is trying to hijack diplomatic platforms that serve for common interests of states.
Linking FATF with ballistic missiles shows how Indian media attempts to hijack international platforms for political ends.
What makes Indian fabricated claims distorted is the scope of FATF, which deals with money laundering and terror financing. In the case of “Da Cui Yun,” there’s no proof of Pakistan being involved in any financial assistance for developing a ballistic missile. This is a vile attempt to put political pressure on FATF to keep Pakistan on the grey list. The strategic attempt to exploit FATF against Pakistan validates failed Indian diplomacy after the recent Indo-Pak conflict. International bodies should not be allowed to be used for politically driven ambitions of a fascist regimes which threaten regional peace and stability.
This is surely true, the BJP government has been using media for political purposes for years, for constructing and deconstructing narratives for elections. But now it is using media to promote an anti-Pakistan narrative as a foreign policy tool. The Modi government’s use of media against Pakistan is not something that unfolds rapidly or spontaneously; it is a smear campaign of reputational manipulation against Pakistan and international governing bodies, which now tries to hide under the shelter of FATF. Indian media’s campaign discredits FATF and its credibility if it does not resist being cast into controversies
There’s no proof of Pakistan’s financial involvement in the 2020 ‘Da Cui Yun’ case, making the FATF linkage baseless.
After the recent crisis, India’s diplomatic campaign has been to revive its failed foreign policy. With many foreign trips by a delegation led by Shashi Tharoor, a member of the Indian opposition party, and many policy statements. The Indian government is trying to weaponize media with false narratives and manipulative practices. Such attempts hurt the institutional credibility of international forums, which also question their neutrality. FATF operates on the principles of international law to fight against terrorism. The mandate of FATF should not be used for political or strategic containment against a particular state as a soft power tool. It must act against engineered narratives disguised in diplomacy for its institutional legitimacy and integrity.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.
