The Kashmir Conflict
TheKashmir conflict started after India’s Independence in the year 1947 as both of the nations had tried to claim its entirety of it. Not only the Abrogation of Article 370 but relentless acts of violence over Kashmir are still alive in the minds of civilians on both sides. As we are living in the 21st century, the era of digitalization and social media, the conflict has not only been restricted to the outer realm but has also taken social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Telegram) by storm.
In this exclusive report, we will cover the following points:
- Role of Telegram
- Exposing Kashmiri Propaganda on Telegram
- Groups Running Kashmiri Propaganda on Telegram
- False News and Misinformation
- Conclusion
Role of Telegram
Telegram is one of the most famous and widely used platforms with a large number of users around the world. It is an easily accessible and affordable social media app as compared to other social media apps Facebook, and WhatsApp. However, some users are using it to incite hatred and intensify the tendencies of violence and terrorism in the outer world.
Exposing Kashmiri Propaganda on Telegram
In this report, we are going to expose the anti-India Kashmiri propaganda running on telegram through various groups and channels. From Images, and videos to messages, we have analyzed all the available content in our report to expose this Propaganda. A thorough investigation led us to some groups on Telegram spreading anti-India Kashmiri content and distorting the image of India in the digital domain.
Groups running Kashmiri Propaganda on Telegram
Group No. 1 – Resistance Media Kashmir
- About this group
- Posters shared in this group
- Messages related to India
- India is an actual spoiler of peace
- Police officials as War Criminals
- The escaped terrorists
- Messages related to G20
- Group’s link with PAFF
- Messages by Al-Aqsa Media
- A subsequent analysis
About this group
The group carries the content regarding TRF (The Resistance Front), a separatist militant organization. However, according to a document from the Ministry Of Home Affairs, The Resistance Front is a proxy outfit of the terrorist organization Lashkar-E-Taiba and came into existence in 2019. It has been involved in the planning of killings of security force personnel and innocent civilians of Jammu and Kashmir, coordinating and transporting weapons to support proscribed terrorist organizations, recruitment of terrorists, infiltration of terrorists, and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from across the border.
Source: https://www.mha.gov.in/MHA1/Par2017/pdfs/par2023-pdfs/RS15032023/1647.pdf
Posters shared in this group
Having 76 subscribers, this group continuously – disseminates anti-India content in the form of images and digital information to its users on Telegram. We are providing you a collage below showcasing some posters shared in this group. Through these posters, the group is trying to attack PM Narendra Modi, his regime, and India, implicitly heightening the roots of the Kashmir Conflict. By showing the sights of helpless infants and victimized civilians, the group is trying to deepen the feelings of animosity and hatred that could increase the violence and terrorism in the Kashmir region.
Messages related to India
Besides posters, some messages are also visible in this group which we have found anti-Indian in nature. Here’s the screenshot of a message along with its translation discussing the battle that took place between a Pakistani individual and some Indian Terrorist forces with its impact on the Indian Parliament.
India is an actual spoiler of peace
In this message, India has been described as an Actual spoiler of peace in South Asia. Citing the reference of political experts and analysts, the group has accused India and Modi‘s regime of spoiling the peace in the affected region. Moreover, the group has asserted that Pakistan has been leading the efforts to achieve peace in South Asia. Additionally, the group has considered India as a violent nation by demonstrating India’s action over the Kashmir conflict after independence.
Police Officials as War Criminals
The Jammu and Kashmir government. on 26 Jan 2023 awarded 168 J&K police officials with medals for gallantry, but according to the message shared in the group, these police officials are war criminals who have been rewarded by the politico-military administration of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir(IIOJK).
The Escaped Terrorists
News
According to information shared on the group, two individuals have escaped from the Police Custody in Baramulla. We conducted a keyword search on this news and found a news article from ‘Parda Phash’ revealing that both of the absconding terrorists are being told to be related to the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. The police are on the lookout for both terrorists. As per the information received from Jammu and Kashmir, these terrorists have escaped from the route. Police said that both the terrorists were being brought to Baramulla police station, and on the way both the terrorists escaped by dodging the police.
Message Related to G20
For the ruling government holding the meeting in J&K was not only to display its tourism potential but also to signal globally the restoration of stability and normalcy in the region.
Pakistan has made every effort to make India unsucceed as it has left no stone unturned in this realm. Here’s a snippet of Pakistan’s attempt to resist the G20 Meeting in Kashmir.
The Translated version of the message reveals: a boycott of the 20-G member countries was organized by Pasban Hurriyat in Muzaffarabad and Hattian Bala after Utmaqam. The Kashmiri protestors were raising slogans of “Balikat Batikat Ji Twenty Boycott Ko Modi Ko Back”, “Ko India Ko Back”. The Kashmiri protestors were chanting protest slogans of Kashmir which watered Kashmir with blood, Kashmir is ours, leave Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Citizens held up banners calling for a boycott of the controversial summit by other countries, including 20-G members Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Indonesia.
“Addressing the participants of the sit-in and rally, Chairman Pasban Hurriyet Uzair Ahmed Ghazali said that one must understand India’s nefarious military motives behind the group’s meeting in disputed Kashmir. Given India’s imperialist occupation of Kashmir, the Indian military attack on innocent civilians, and the worst violations of human rights, 20 countries should boycott the meeting in Srinagar in protest. Uzair Ahmad Ghazali said that the G20 “countries should respect the rules and discipline of the world’s major forum by boycotting the meeting in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is recognized as per the United Nations resolutions. He further said that ” 20-G” countries should not forget that India is committing serious war crimes against humanity by turning Kashmir into a killing ground. Bharatiya Janata Party, by holding a meeting in war-torn Kashmir, is showing its heinous war crimes and bloodshed. An attempt to cover up the game”.
In our earlier investigation regarding the G20, we discovered that the ultimate agenda of boycotting the G20 meeting in Kashmir was also incited by Prominent activist Mushaal Hussein Mullick who calls on G20 countries to boycott the moot and take an active role in facilitating a peaceful settlement for the long-standing Kashmir dispute with the hashtag #G20IgnoringHRViolationInIIOJK. Our probe further revealed that several accounts had copy-pasted the tweet to amplify this Hashtag #G20IgnoringHRViolationInIIOJK and to promote the agenda of boycotting the G20 in Kashmir.
Moreover, we also found numerous news articles reflecting this issue on the Internet. Here’s a collage provided below showcasing this fact.
Group’s link with PAFF
Some of the messages in the group indicates that it has a link with PAFF (People’s Anti-Fascist Front), a militant organization based on the motive of Kashmiri Separatism and actively engaged in insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir which had emerged after the revocation of Article 370 by the Indian Government.
Messages by Al-Aqsa Media
The group also contains some messages by Al-Aqsa Media which highlight news regarding mishappenings in Kashmir indicating that danger is looming over Kashmiris. Subsequently, in the group, news has been shared in such a manner portraying Indians as the most dangerous individuals for Kashmiris. The collage provided below will show you the particular pieces of news that shed light on this aspect.
A Subsequent Analysis
Subsequently, an in-depth analysis of this group reveals that it was created in the month of March 2023. Although, the group receives a viewership of 5,370 views on the posts related to Kashmir. Notably, the majority of the posts emphasize on Pakistan’s long-standing agenda about Kashmir and its freedom in this group.
Group No. 2 – Freedom Movement O Kashmir
- About this group
- Updates of fights between Indian & Pak forces
- Pattern of Forwarding messages
- Celebrating Anniversary of Martyrs
- Viewership Analysis
About this group
A further research on Telegram led us to this group by the name of ‘Freedom Movement O Kashmir’. The group was created in May 2020 with the name of supporters of Battle of India but it was later renamed to ‘Tehreek Azadi O Kashmir’. Lastly, it was renamed to ‘Freedom Movement O Kashmir’.
Updates of Fights between Indian and Pak Forces
In this group, we observed that messages are somewhat associated with the updates regarding fights that took place between India-Pakistani Forces in the Kashmir Region. The messages are employed with the hashtags such as #MartyrsAreAlive, #OurMartyrsOurPride, #alhizbi. Here’s a collage provided below showing some of the messages of the group.
Pattern of Forwarding messages
In our subsequent analysis, we stumbled upon the forwarded messages in the group which simply indicates the connection between these groups (The Resistance Front and United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir). Forwarding messages is a continuous pattern of these groups with the hashtags like #TRF #ULF #ResistToExist & #ResistTillFreedom
Celebrating the Anniversary of Martyrs
Apart from messages and updates, we discovered that some of the messages of this group are alluding to the celebration of the Anniversary of those individuals killed during the fights in the Kashmir region. The collage given below showcases the specific messages from the group.
Viewership Analysis
Upon examining this group further, we discovered that significant messages of this group are related to the objective of attaining Kashmir’s freedom from India receiving massive views on them. Some of the messages also mention words such as Hizbul Mujahideen, Indian army, and Jihad. Here’s a collage provided below illustrating the frequency of these words used in this group.
Group No. 3 – Pakistan/Kashmir Combat Footage Archives
- About this group
- What does the Comment Section say?
- Viewership Analysis
- Worldcloud
About this group
Having 165 subscribers on Telegram, the group solely focuses on ridiculing and mocking on horrible and dreadful state of Indian Soldiers after fights with Pakistani forces in the Kashmir region. Not only highlighting but also bolstering the spirit of Pakistani Forces regarding the Kashmir conflict. Here are the snippets of the content shared in this group.
What Does the Comment Section Say?
Additionally, we have deliberately examined the comments section of posts shared in this group. It drew our attention to the disparaging remarks made regarding the dismal and terrifying conditions of Indian soldiers. Further, we are providing you this analysis in the form of some collages provided below.
Viewership Analysis
On analyzing this group profoundly, we found that the channel receives a viewership of 8,653 views on the posts related to the Indian Army. Moreover, the hashtags used by this group include, #Kashmir, #Pakistan, #Kargil, #India, etc.
Wordcloud
The word cloud provided below displays the words that were mostly used by the admin in this channel. Here, the frequently used words are: “Indian Soldiers Dead”, “Kashmiri”, “Hell”, “Mujahid”, “LOC”, etc”
Group No. 4 – Protection of Pakistan and Kashmir
Furthermore, we have discovered another group named “Protection of Pakistan and Kashmir’. The content shared in this group was in Urdu. We have provided the translation of some messages shared in this group. After the Translation of some significant messages, we have found that this group has been operated by some people who described themselves as social media soldiers of the fifth generation
Group No. 5 – Save Kashmir
About this group
Another group that came into our radar of investigation is ‘Save Kashmir’. The group was found to be sharing some pictures that not only underscore the agony but also try to promote Pakistan’s long-standing agenda which started after India’s Independence in 1947.
Pictures with Hashtags
The pictures are employed with some hashtags such as #SaveKashmir,and#freeKashmir as well as some slogans like Le kar Rahein gay Azadito intensify the Pakistani Agenda regarding Kashmir. Here is the collage below showing some pictures with hashtags and slogans highlighted in red.
False News and Misinformation
News 1: According to a screenshot shared in the group, a grenade attack was carried out on the banker of 161 battalions of CRPF in Safakdal Biari Pura, Srinagar, by Mujahideen affiliated with Muslim Janbaz Force under the leadership of Ghazi Haider. Reports have been received that several officials were killed and injured in the attack. Such attacks will continue in the future. The screenshot was shared on December 24, 2020.
Fact-Check
The DFRAC team fact-checked the above news shared through the screenshot. We searched some keywords in the context of this news and found a post on Facebook, shared by the official page of ‘Kashmiri Update’ on December 24, 2020, stating: “Grenade attack on CRPF camp in Braripora, no casualties reported”.
Further, the post mentioned: “Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that suspected militants lobbed grenades towards CRPF 161 bn, A Coy camp Braripora Chowk Nawa Kadal, which exploded some distance far from the bunker with a huge bang. However, no damage was reported when officials from Police Station Safa Kadal reached the spot—(KNO)”.
Following this, we also discovered a media report of 24 December 2020 by the news website ‘Kashmir News Observer reporting similar facts concerning the above news.
Analysis: Fake.
No casualties were reported in the grenade attack.
News 2
According to this news shared in the group, Indian forces shot and injured a mentally unsound civilian outside of an army base. They claim he was acting suspiciously and did not heed calls to identify himself or stop. The news was shared on May 9, 2023.
Fact-Check
To verify the authenticity of the above news, the DFRAC team conducted a Keyword search and found media reports by Free Press Kashmir and Scroll. in published in the year 2018, stating that Indian Army shot dead a man who was reportedly mentally ill after he crossed the security fence of an Army camp in Puhnoo village in South Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Anaylsis: Misleading.
The incident is from the year 2018
News 3
A news was shared in the group claiming that Foreign Indian forces murdered a Kashmiri woman in Baramullah. This occurred during a raid on her home whilist undertaking their illegal detentions spree and search operations in the area. The news was shared on May 16, 2023.
Fact-Check
The DFRAC team fact-checked the above news and found the media reports of Economic Times and India TV revealing that an unidentified woman, believed to be an intruder from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was shot dead by security forces after she crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir
News website India TV published a report on May 15, 2023. In this report, India TV stated: “An unidentified woman was shot dead by security forces on Monday after she crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district. The officials informed that the woman was believed to be an intruder from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir”. Further, it was mentioned: “She was challenged by the troops when she crossed the LoC in the Kamalkote area and was coming close to the border fence. However, she did not pay heed, officials further informed”.
A report published by Economic Times on May 15, 2023, also stated similar facts in the context of the above news.
Analysis: Misleading.
The woman was suspected to be an intruder.
Conclusion
The two nations, India and Pakistan have fiercely contested with each other over Kashmir earlier. The ultimate fight is not restricted to the outer domain now but has been carried out on social media platforms as well. Through this report, we have shed light on one of the facets of Kashmiri propaganda in which Telegram is being used as a weapon to boost and promote the long-standing Pakistani agenda over the Kashmir conflict with the help of various groups.
