EU Disinfo Lab reveals how a massive 15-year influence operation, ‘Indian Chronicles’, successfully targeted the EU & UN with 750+ fake local media and 10+ zombie-NGOs.
ISLAMABAD – Researchers have uncovered a global network of fake websites and NGOs being run from India for 15 years in Brussels and Geneva to malign Pakistan and other enemy Asian countries.
EU Disinfo Lab’s hectic campaign, dubbed as “Indian Chronicles,” reveals how India resurrected dead media, dead think-tanks and NGOs and dead people for its vested interests.
REVEALED: Indian Chronicles – how a massive 15-year influence operation successfully targeted the EU & UN with 750+ fake local media and 10+ zombie-NGOs.
— EU DisinfoLab (@DisinfoEU) December 9, 2020
Executive Summary & full report: https://t.co/W3IAxQTOqZ
Here are the facts 👇 (1/n) pic.twitter.com/eXW6bh48gv
The nefarious operation led by the New-Delhi based business association, Srivastava Group, and amplified by ANI, a leading Indian news agency, began in 2005 and is still ongoing at this date, said the researchers.
The development comes following an investigation held last year into Indian disinformation operations in which it unearthed that the Srivastava Group had been spearheading a network of 265 fake media in 65 countries, including EP Today, a fake European Parliament online magazine active in Brussels since 2006.
The fake publication, investigators say, served as a ‘honeypot’ for Members of European Parliament (MEPs) and other politicians to publish their opinions particularly that served Indian interests in the EU.
Earlier this year, EU Disinfo Lab again launched the probe after stumbling upon “an entire network of coordinated UN-accredited NGOs promoting Indian interests and criticizing Pakistan repeatedly.”
This probe ended up in the discovery of a fake media organisation in Brussels – EU Chronicle, which was working in lines of the EP Today.
The network is used in India to reinforce pro-Indian and anti-Pakistan (and anti-Chinese) feelings while internationally, it is used to consolidate the power and improve the perception of India, to damage the reputation of other countries in order to get support from the EU and the UN.
Indian Chronicles’ key objective is to undermine Pakistan internationally.
— EU DisinfoLab (@DisinfoEU) December 9, 2020
To do so, they resurrected dead NGOs at the UN.
They impersonated the EU.
They laundered content produced by fake media to real media - and reached millions in South-Asia & across the world. (2/n)
For this purposes, the network supports minority and human rights NGOs and think-tanks, besides using MEPs to create a mirage of institutional support from European institutions to these minority groups, in favour of Indian interests and against Pakistan (and China).
It has an active presence in Geneva and the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by holding side-events and demonstrations in support of minority rights, said the researchers.
The strategy of the Indian network also include the creation of fake media in Brussels, Geneva and across the world and/or the repackaging and dissemination via ANI and obscure local media networks – at least in 97 countries – to multiply the repetition of online negative content about countries in conflict with India, in particular Pakistan.
“We uncovered an entire network of coordinated UN-accredited NGOs promoting Indian interests and criticizing Pakistan repeatedly. We could tie at least 10 of them directly to the Srivastava family, with several other dubious NGOs pushing the same messages,” EU Disinfo Lab said.
The researchers have called for sufficient measures to counter such widespread and coordinated disinformation campaigns such as the one outlined in Indian Chronicles.
“It is also our belief that the possibility for malicious actors to abuse search engines by reproducing the same content hundreds of times should also be challenged,” the investigator recommended.
Daily Pakistan Global Web Desk
KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on February 03, 2023 (Friday).
Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)
Currency | Symbol | Buying | Selling |
US Dollar | USD | 271.1 | 271.6 |
Euro | EUR | 298.27 | 298.87 |
UK Pound Sterling | GBP | 335.5 | 336.2 |
U.A.E Dirham | AED | 73.03 | 73.33 |
Saudi Riyal | SAR | 71.49 | 71.80 |
Australian Dollar | AUD | 188.9 | 191.3 |
Bahrain Dinar | BHD | 712.73 | 720.73 |
Canadian Dollar | CAD | 200.95 | 203.15 |
China Yuan | CNY | 39.67 | 40.07 |
Danish Krone | DKK | 39.11 | 39.51 |
Hong Kong Dollar | HKD | 34.19 | 34.54 |
Indian Rupee | INR | 3.28 | 3.39 |
Japanese Yen | JPY | 2.5 | 2.54 |
Kuwaiti Dinar | KWD | 877.76 | 886.76 |
Malaysian Ringgit | MYR | 62.83 | 63.43 |
New Zealand Dollar | NZD | 173.25 | 175.25 |
Norwegians Krone | NOK | 26.76 | 27.09 |
Omani Riyal | OMR | 696.08 | 704.08 |
Qatari Riyal | QAR | 73.62 | 74.32 |
Singapore Dollar | SGD | 204 | 206 |
Swedish Korona | SEK | 25.61 | 25.91 |
Swiss Franc | CHF | 291.69 | 294.19 |
Thai Bhat | THB | 8.15 | 8.3 |
KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 206,200 on Friday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs176,790.
Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs164,500 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 179,100.
Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.
City | Gold | Silver |
Lahore | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Karachi | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Islamabad | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Peshawar | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Quetta | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Sialkot | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Attock | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Gujranwala | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Jehlum | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Multan | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Bahawalpur | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Gujrat | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Nawabshah | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Chakwal | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Hyderabad | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Nowshehra | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Sargodha | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Faisalabad | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
Mirpur | PKR 206,200 | PKR 2,420 |
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