Whack-a-mole Tactic Fuels Pak-backed Disinformation Campaign

October 16, 2026

Amid the ongoing protests, investigators have found that certain elements backed by Pakistan launched a multi-layered digital warfare campaign targeting India. They are examining how posts published by these handles gained traction and went viral, reaching a large audience across digital platforms.

The campaign was allegedly aimed at undermining the Indian government and discrediting its handling of the protests. While the investigation has uncovered the circulation of fake narratives, investigators are also examining the locations where these posts received the highest levels of engagement. Reports say these posts were targeted mostly in states where a non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is in power.

Posts were circulated most in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. The operation began with the creation of a primary proxy account, followed by scores of additional proxy accounts.

These accounts amplified the content posted by the primary account through coordinated activity, including artificial interactions among themselves, while keeping the focus on the original post. This created the impression that the content was gaining significant traction and attracting widespread engagement. After watching the engagement, other genuine profiles would join the conversation.

This only increased the reach of such fake content being posted online. The genuine handles would in turn share these posts, and this added to the further reach of such content. First, the fake post would be created, following which the layering process would take place. The fake narrative, through the layering process, would be moved and reposted across multiple digital ecosystems.