An investigation by EU DisinfoLab has exposed a major Indian news agency – Asian News International – that continues to target regional rivals, particularly Pakistan and China by using “non-existent” sources and ghost “experts” to spread disinformation.

Indian News Agency Amplified Fake Narratives

As per research, ANI spread disinformation to millions of Indians using fake personae. IFFRAS which the agency had previously linked to the Srivastava group was legally dissolved in 2014 and is now quoted about twice a week by ANI. “The think tank’s website falsely mentions real Canadian university professors as participants in a conference that they never attended, even concocting false quotes by these academics,” reads the report.

The report describes IFFRAS’ think tank as something that does not exist and does not want to be found. The think tank, previously chaired by a former Canadian MP, was registered in Canada in 2012, and officially dissolved in 2014. Another think tank quoted by ANI is the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA) which doesn’t have real individuals. “Alongside the legitimate report we encountered content that we could not attribute to real individuals,” reads the report.

Reports Published by ANI

A report titled; ‘Deception Games: Pakistan’s Eyewash Action against Terror Groups’, authored by Ronald Duchemin and covered by ANI was built around a fake narrative as the report was unable to find any further evidence of Duchemin’s existence and expertise on Pakistan. Another person, Mario de Gasperi, linked to CPFA produced several pro-Indian reports but the agency again fails to find any evidence of his existence. Likewise, the source of another news, titled; ‘European Parliament to withdraw Pakistan’s GSP+ status over abuse of blasphemy laws’ doesn’t exist.

Also read: Stanford University Unearths Pro-Indian Twitter Drive Against Pakistan

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