India unnerved by effective IOK campaign of Pakistan military’s media wing

Scared of Pakistani military’s information warfare, Indian army chief cautions ex-officers over social media use

ISLAMABAD: Posters carrying Pakistan’s top military spokesperson’s message of solidarity with Kashmiris have popped up across Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir – a situation that has rung alarm bells for the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Indian media has gone haywire on appearance of posters and handbills with Major General Asif Ghafoor’s photo on all major roads and streets of the occupied valley.

The posters are inscribed with the DG ISPR’s message of “fight till the last soldier and the last bullet” for the people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. They also carry Hurriyat workers’ prayers for the military spokesperson’s long-life.

https://twitter.com/SalahuddinTano1/status/1168555310644178946

The freedom fighters, in posters, announced that the people of Kashmir would together push India out of their homeland, which is a paradise on earth. "The paradise cannot be an abode of brute Indian forces," they added.

#surprise ;)
Free #kashmir , #ISPR 's posters appears in #Indian occupied Kashmir #IOK #AsifGhafoor@peaceforchange#پاک_فوج_کشمیر_آزاد_کراؤ pic.twitter.com/sul5i9KFeK

— حلیمہ (@smushtaq30) September 2, 2019

A former Indian military commander has already praised the Pakistan Army’s media wing for employing outstanding strategy in the domain of hybrid warfare.

During his address at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in UK earlier this year, Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Husnain acknowledged that the Inter-Services Public Relations outclassed the Indian army in information war saying: “I want to give full marks to the ISPR for the information strategy it has played out”.

He said, “The ISPR did an outstanding work for Pakistan by ensuring detailed alienation of Kashmiris against Indian armed forces and Indian nation,” adding, “If anyone has ever taught us [India] about the information operation it was the ISPR… it has done a splendid job.”

India's ex-general hails ISPR for ‘outclass information war’

Meanwhile, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat has also expressed fear over Pakistan’s strategy on information warfare. He reportedly admitted, while meeting former military officers in New Delhi, that Pakistan has defeated India in hybrid warfare.

According to media reports, the Indian army chief also revealed incidents of ‘operational information’ leak last week, following which he has now warned former army officials to be careful in using social media.

Tensions have soared between the arch-rivals in recent weeks following Prime Minister Modi’s move last month to revoke the autonomy of Indian Occupied Kashmir.

By repealing Article 370 of the constitution on August 5, the Modi administration has opened doors for people from the rest of India to acquire property in the disputed region and settle there permanently.

Kashmiris see the move as an attempt to dilute the demographics of Muslim-majority region with Hindu settlers.

Pakistan had strongly condemned the move and vowed to “exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps” taken by India.