IN the digital age, where information warfare often eclipses traditional conflicts, disinformation has emerged as a strategic tool wielded by hostile actors to manipulate perceptions and destabilize sovereign states.
A recent investigation into the activities of AJK-linked social media accounts reveals a coordinated campaign designed to sow discord, discredit state institutions and provoke unrest within Pakistan, particularly targeting the Armed Forces and the administration in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The implications of this campaign are both profound and urgent, demanding a calibrated and strategic response.
These social media accounts, which appear to operate under the guise of representing local AJK interests, are, in fact, disseminating content replete with falsehood and inflammatory rhetoric.
Their narratives are not merely critical of governance but are intentionally crafted to incite agitation and erode trust between the public and state institutions.
The predominant targets of this campaign include the Pakistan Army, the Government of AJK (GoAJK) and Pakistan’s political leadership, all of whom are portrayed as oppressive forces exploiting AJK’s resources and curbing its autonomy.
A pivotal moment in this information operation came following the arrest of Ghulam Mujtaba, an event seized upon by Indian media outlets to amplify anti-Pakistan propaganda.
This synchronization between social media disinformation and mainstream Indian media underscores a disturbing pattern: the evident support of Indian entities in amplifying content that undermines Pakistan’s territorial cohesion and public confidence.
It serves as a strategic distraction, redirecting attention from India’s own human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where repression, demographic engineering and militarization continue unabated.
The central theme in the propagated disinformation is the alleged brutality of Pakistani forces in AJK and the purported occupation of the region.
These narratives portray the Pakistan Army not as a guardian of peace and sovereignty but as an external force plundering local resources, imposing puppet governments and silencing dissent.
The intent behind such framing is clear: to delegitimize the role of the military and state administration, thereby fueling separatist sentiments and encouraging forceful protest as a legitimate recourse.
The recent incident involving a senior leader of the All-Azad Kashmir Conference (AAC), in which derogatory remarks were made about the martyrs of the Pakistan Army, further exposed the deep infiltration of hostile ideologies within local political movements.
This incident not only drew widespread condemnation from the public but also raised serious concerns about the AAC’s alignment and objectives.
Many in AJK now openly question whether the AAC has been compromised by hostile intelligence agencies and foreign interests, thereby losing its credibility as a genuine representative of the people’s will.
In conclusion, the disinformation campaign targeting Pakistan through AJK-linked social media accounts is a calculated effort to destabilize the region by exploiting local grievances and amplifying foreign narratives.
It is essential to expose these efforts for what they are: tools of hybrid warfare aimed at weakening national unity.
By reinforcing strategic communication, empowering local governance and upholding a fact-based narrative, Pakistan cannot only counter these narratives but also strengthen its sovereignty and social cohesion in the face of external subversion.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
