Nepal’s Protests: A Breeding Ground for Disinformation
Nepal recently erupted in violent protests sparked by a government-imposed social media ban. While rooted in legitimate grievances like corruption, nepotism, and unemployment, these demonstrations have become a fertile ground for disinformation campaigns orchestrated from across its borders. A closer examination reveals a concerted effort by Pakistan-based social media accounts to hijack the narrative, falsely portraying India as the instigator of unrest and a destabilizing force in South Asia. This manipulation exploits genuine public anger to further a geopolitical agenda, highlighting the dangers of digital propaganda in the modern age.
Pakistan’s Disinformation Playbook: A Familiar Pattern
The disinformation campaign followed a well-established pattern. Initially, accounts like that of self-proclaimed “defence analyst” Ahmad Hassan Al-Arbi, known for spreading false narratives about India in the past, seeded the false claim that India was using fake Nepali accounts to orchestrate the protests, punishing Nepal for its diplomatic ties with China. These initial posts were then amplified by larger accounts, lending them an air of legitimacy. Pro-Pakistan media outlets, like the Kashmir Media Service, further solidified the narrative by reporting these social media claims as news, creating a false sense of validation. Known disinformation spreaders, with a history of fabricating stories about Kashmir and other issues, recycled and amplified these claims. Hashtags like “India = Net Destabiliser” were strategically employed to target both global and regional audiences, solidifying the fabricated narrative.
The Actors and Their Tactics: A Coordinated Effort
The disinformation operation involved a network of actors, each playing a distinct role. Semi-automated “cyborg” accounts churned out and retweeted content to artificially inflate engagement and create trending topics. Larger “amplifier” accounts with substantial follower bases broadened the reach of these false narratives. Established disinformation accounts, known for praising Pakistani “cyber warriors,” resurrected pre-existing anti-India tropes, framing India as a destabilizing force. By consistently pushing this narrative, they aimed to undermine India’s diplomatic standing in South Asia and present Pakistan as a regional peacemaker. The coordinated actions of these actors ensured that the fabricated narrative rapidly gained traction and spread widely within days.
Why Nepal? A Strategically Chosen Target
Nepal’s geopolitical location, nestled between India and China, makes it a prime target for narratives that exploit anxieties about great power interference. Existing historical sensitivities and periodic anti-India sentiment, particularly surrounding border disputes and trade, provide fertile ground for these disinformation campaigns. Nepal’s current domestic instability, fueled by widespread youth disillusionment with governance, further enhances the resonance of narratives blaming external forces for internal problems. By painting India as an interfering force in Nepal, Pakistan attempts to project a broader narrative of Indian destabilization across South Asia, linking unrelated events in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Bangladesh into a single conspiratorial framework.
The Broader Implications: A Regional Information War
The disinformation campaign targeting Nepal is not an isolated incident but reflects a larger struggle for narrative control in South Asia. By portraying India as a destabilizing actor, Pakistan aims to achieve multiple objectives: diplomatically isolating India, deflecting attention from its own internal challenges, eroding trust between India and its neighbors, and solidifying its own image as a force for regional stability. This information warfare tactic poses a significant threat to regional peace and stability by fostering mistrust and potentially escalating tensions between nations.
The Consequences for Nepal and the Region: A Call for Action
For Nepal, the disinformation campaign carries a double threat. It distorts legitimate grievances, undermining the credibility of the protests and potentially polarizing society along fabricated geopolitical lines. It shifts the focus from critical internal issues to manufactured external threats. For South Asia as a whole, this episode highlights the urgent need for a collective response to the growing weaponization of information in the digital age. Policymakers, media organizations, and civil society groups must actively work to expose and counter these false narratives before they become entrenched. Nepal’s protests, though sparked by genuine domestic concerns, have been manipulated to serve a foreign agenda. The international community must recognize this manipulation and support Nepal in addressing its internal challenges without being distracted by manufactured external threats.