Pakistan ISI fake-news avalanche a Twitter conspiracy against India? Sure seems so

As the situation in Kashmir gradually eases to normalcy after days of numerous restrictions in the Valley, there has been a plethora of fake news peddling on Twitter and Facebook claiming mass disruption in the Valley, a wave of protests and numerous casualties due to Army and police action in the heavily restricted Jammu-Kashmir state.

While the Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy has clarified on Tuesday, that not a single bullet has been fired since the parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Bill 2019 -abrogating the Article 370, Twitter has been abuzz with many conspiracy theories, fearmongering about Kashmir, hinting at an anti-India conspiracy.

J&K Police Shuts Down Pakistani Senator's Abysmal Fake-news Attempt About J&K, Demands Action From Twitter

Here are some instances of the 'anti-India rants' on social media:

• Pakistan politician Fawad Hussain Chaudhary had issued a tweet appealing to Indian Army soldiers along communal lines, even as his government was tweeting fake news and videos to make it appear as though the situation is Kashmir is anything but normal.   
• Jammu and Kashmir police called out Pakistan politician Abdul Rehman Malik for spreading malicious content on social media where he claimed that the Indian Army had used helicopter gunships to go to war with the citizens of J&K.
• The CRPF, Kashmir police, and state administration red-flagged a certain Twitter user - 'WSK' (@WajSKhan) for spreading baseless rumours about the ground situation in Kashmir.
• On August 5, Pakistan ISI-backed stooges had also unleashed a virulent fake-news campaign against Republic TV, doctoring a video in their efforts to make it seem as the situation in Kashmir was anything but normal.

Apart from these reports circulating on Twitter, international media news channels have been claiming mass revolts and severe Army action against protesters which have been referred to by many Congress leaders in an apparent attempt to fearmonger about Kashmir.

Government Seeks Unedited Videos Aired By International Media Houses On Kashmir, Expands Crackdown On Fake News Beyond Twitter

Centre crackdown of fake news

Though fake news on Twitter has been fanning the flames of an anti-India conspiracy, the Centre has taken several strict measures to curb such fake propaganda by asking international broadcasting houses BBC and Aljazeera to show unedited version of the videos they had played claiming unrest and use of force in Kashmir.

The MHA has reportedly also shortlisted a list of more than 100 accounts - of which a dozen accounts have been red-flagged for immediate action and may invoke IT Act Section 69(A) to allegedly block these accounts.