Coordinated disinformation campaign using fake Iranian accounts targets Pakistan

Probe links propaganda network to operators in India and Afghanistan aiming to fuel regional distrust

A coordinated disinformation operation targeting Pakistan has been uncovered, involving fake Iranian identities and accounts operated from India and Afghanistan.

The campaign aimed to create a narrative against Pakistan, portraying the country as aligned with Western agendas and anti-Iran. The operation reportedly began through ghost accounts such as INN Iran News and Iran TV.

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Investigations revealed that accounts creating the narrative were operated from India, while those amplifying the propaganda were run from Afghanistan. Artificial Iranian responses against Pakistan were spread through Afghan-operated accounts, with the network used as proliferators to increase reach.

The propaganda campaign is a strategic, stepwise operation under the model: Initiator, Proliferator, Amplifier. The false narratives included claims that Pakistan was transporting oil for the US, which were used to justify the propaganda.

The operation is sought to undermine Pakistan’s role in regional peace efforts and to create division and distrust in the Muslim world. The master accounts behind the campaign were traced to India, which managed narrative control and strategic direction, with Times of Iran News identified as a central hub.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain high, with both sides engaged in cross-border clashes and military operations. Pakistan has accused Afghan Taliban-controlled areas of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, while Kabul denies these allegations and calls Pakistani strikes a violation of its sovereignty. The cycle of retaliatory airstrikes, border shelling, and militant attacks has escalated over the past year, causing casualties, infrastructure damage, and disruptions to trade, highlighting the fragile security situation along the shared frontier.

The disinformation effort represents a coordinated threat, involving India and Afghanistan, with potential implications for regional stability. They said the exposure of the campaign demonstrates Pakistan’s alertness against attempts to manipulate public perception and international narratives.

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Iran is also closely monitoring the situation, given its shared border with Afghanistan and Pakistan and the potential for regional spillover. Iran is already at war with US and Israel as tensions between the countries have escalated sharply, with Iran vowing to retaliate against Israeli strikes on key industrial and nuclear sites, which it says were coordinated with Washington. The US has deployed Marines and elite troops to the region, citing the need to protect strategic interests and maintain freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian missile attacks have targeted Israeli and Gulf installations, prompting warnings of further escalation.

Tehran has expressed concern over rising cross-border tensions and the impact on trade, security, and the movement of refugees. Iran’s strategic interest lies in preventing instability that could embolden militant groups near its eastern frontier, while also maintaining constructive ties with both Islamabad and Kabul to safeguard regional connectivity and economic projects.