INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A global network of pro-Indian fake websites and think-tanks is aimed at influencing decision-making in Europe, researchers say.The
co-ordinated network of 265 sites operates across 65 countries, according to a report by EU Disinfo Lab, a Brussels-based NGO, The
researchers traced the websites to an Indian company, Srivastava Group.The network was also found to involve groups responsible for
anti-Pakistan lobbying events in Europe.There's no evidence it is linked to India's government
But researchers believe the network's purpose is to disseminate propaganda against India's neighbour and rival Pakistan
Both countries have long sought to control the narrative against each other.Image caption
The websites sprinkled
anti-Pakistan content amongst stories about world news and sport
"More than the fake media outlets alone, it is their
combination with the fake NGOs that's really worrying because it provides a mirage of online and grassroots support to a cause
That's exactly where the disinformation lies," Alexandre Alaphilippe, executive director of EU Disinfo Lab, told the TheIndianSubcontinent
'Zombies, green aliens and blue ghosts'EU Disinfo Lab's investigation started by looking at EP Today, a website which claimed to be an
online magazine for the European Parliament in Brussels
In October, the European Union's disinformation task force revealed that EP Today had been re-publishing a large amount of news directly
from Russia Today and Voice of America
Some suspected Russian interference, but EU Disinfo Lab, which is an independent NGO, traced the servers behind the website to Srivastava
Group.The researchers then uncovered a vast network of English language fake sites serving India's lobbying interests.Image copyrightEU
Disinfo LabImage caption
EU Disinfo Lab uses skulls and cross bones to represent "zombie" sites, green aliens for
made-up names and blue ghosts are misleading titles
Many of the fake websites use names of defunct newspapers to provide a
EU Disinfo Lab have dubbed these "zombie" sites, because the names were resurrected from dead media outlets.For example, one of the sites is
Its "About Us" section uses text copied from a Wikipedia entry about a newspaper with the same name
But it omits an important part of the Wikipedia description, which states: "The newspaper's last issue appeared on 22 July 1922." It also
fails to declare the website's links to Indian interests.Image caption
This and other sites look like local news
outlets, but are secretly controlled by servers linked to the Srivastava Group
Six of the sites use misleading names, like
"Times of Los Angeles" instead of the better known "Los Angeles Times"
The websites all copy syndicated content from news organisations to make them look like real news sites
They then plant anti-Pakistan stories and opinion pieces from employees of NGOs linked to the network to serve India's lobbying interests,
The Times of Geneva is one of the most sophisticated websites in the network, and creates a lot of video content
Its activities appear to target decision makers at the UN
The website hasn't been updated since 19 November, a few days after EU Disinfo Lab first announced its discovery of the network.The
TheIndianSubcontinent tried calling the phone number on the Times of Geneva's website, but it has been cut off
Its YouTube channel has been disabled and its Twitter account suspended
Image copyrightEU Disinfo LabImage caption
Interviews with lobbyists, MEPs and representatives of NGOs critical of
Pakistan appeared on Times of Geneva's YouTube channel
Mr Alaphilippe believes the network was created to influence
international institutions and elected representatives."We think the main goal was to be able to reach policymakers in Brussels and Geneva,
without being able to trace back to those behind the manipulative network
And this worked!" he told the TheIndianSubcontinent."MEPs [Members of the European Parliament] have engaged directly with this network on a
multitude of levels, whether that's been through writing op-eds for their media, participating in overseas trips and press conferences, or
by speaking in the European Parliament on behalf of the cause."Ray Serrato, an open source investigator with a focus on disinformation,
noted how little social media traction the network generated
In an email to the TheIndianSubcontinent, he says what struck him was that "somebody went to pains to set up hundreds of inauthentic sites
to bolster coverage of issues aligned with India's interests, and then used (unwitting?) European MPs to lend legitimacy to some of those
sites"."The real-life implications are that officials can be hand-fed and regurgitate specific talking points, completely unaware about how
they got them."The EU Disinfo Lab report highlights various organisations which appear to be closely connected, which have been organising
"protests and conferences every year during UN Human Rights Council sessions"
They focus on campaigns to criticise Pakistan for the state of minorities and persecuted groups in the country
One group identified in the network, the European Organisation for Pakistani Minorities (EOPM), organised a protest in front of the UN in
2016, and a conference held in the United Nations Human Rights Council.Image copyrightMOFAImage caption
EOPM put posters
in Geneva which contained the message "Save the Minorities in Pakistan"
In 2017 posters with the message "Free Balochistan"
and other slogans supporting minorities in Pakistan appeared on streets in Geneva, resulting in Pakistani authorities summoning the Swiss
Ambassador to demand the removal of the posters
The EU Disinfo Lab report highlights that this year, a campaign was launched in front of the United Nations office in Geneva about
The protest used the hashtag #PakistanStopGenocide, with speeches made by various individuals named in the report
It was extensively covered in media outlets in the network, such as the Times of Geneva
India has also been on the receiving end of critical outdoor advertising in Europe
Earlier this year, during the Cricket World Cup in England, banners were seen flying over the stadium during India's match against Sri Lanka
at Headingley, Leeds, with messages such as "Justice for Kashmir" and "India Stop Genocide and Free Kashmir"
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Planes flew over 2019 Cricket World Cup matches towing both anti-Pakistan and
anti-India slogans
Animosity between Pakistan and India has resulted in three all-out wars, and numerous skirmishes across
the border, the most recent of which took place in February this year
The battle to construct an effective narrative and gain international support has long been fought online as well as offline
Ten years ago, a now-dormant Pakistani blog, Café Pyala, unearthed a network of publications that were hawkishly pro-Pakistan and
It found a similar modus operandi, where the news outlets "reference and promote each other constantly", with misleading names such as
"Times of Bombay, The Delhi Times, and Dacca Times".Unlike its anti-Indian predecessor, the anti-Pakistan network revealed by EU Disinfo Lab
has a strong presence in European cities such as Brussels, Geneva and Strasbourg, co-ordinating demonstrations and a social media
campaign.Who is behind the network?Through shared phone numbers and an office address in Brussels, as well as shared web servers, EU Disinfo
Lab found Srivastava Group to be at the heart of the network.Srivastava Group is an Indian holding company which declares on its website
that it has "interests in Natural resources, Clean energy, Airspace, Consulting services, Healthcare, Print Media and Publishing".One of
Srivastava Group's subsidiaries, the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies (IINS), sponsored a controversial visit to
Indian-administered Kashmir for right-wing MEPs in October.Image caption
Srivastava Group's headquarters appeared
unoccupied
The IINS is based at the same address in Delhi as Srivastava Group and an obscure media outlet called New Delhi
Times.TheIndianSubcontinent News Hindi reporter Kirti Dubey visited the address and was told by a security guard there was no office in the
A neighbour who had lived in the area for 40 years told her he had never seen anyone in the house
Srivastava Group did not respond to the TheIndianSubcontinent's attempts to request comment by phone and email.When Indian media reported
the publication of EU Disinfo Lab's initial findings in November, the New Delhi Times' editor in chief Ankit Srivastava tweeted that
Pakistan's intelligence services were trying to tarnish him, although he provided no evidence.The 'Madi effect'Madi Sharma has been
identified by EU Disinfo Lab as central to the disinformation network
She has written for EP Today and the New Delhi Times as their "EU correspondent"
It was Madi Sharma who sent MEPs invitations for the controversial trip to Kashmir
She signed the invitation letters as the Founder and CEO of the Women's Economic and Social Think Tank (WESTT) and said the trip would be
sponsored by the IINS.EU Disinfo Lab found that WESTT shares some staff with EP Today and had quoted and republished content from New Delhi
Times and the Times of Geneva
Image copyrightPIBImage caption
Madi Sharma, far right, posed for pictures with Indian PM Narendra Modi during the MEPs'
controversial Kashmir trip
Madi Sharma, who also goes by the name Madhu Sharma, is a British member of the European Economic
and Social Committee (EESC)
She was nominated for the committee by the UK Government and has been an EESC Member since 2002
She paints herself as a successful entrepreneur, but according to the UK's Companies House website, her sole directorship in the UK is with
Madi Limited, and the company is dormant
Her book Madi - No Excuses has its own website which asks: "Have you heard about the phenomena known as the 'Madi Effect'?" Ankit
Srivastava of the New Delhi Times is also vice chairman of the Srivastava Group - and he is likely to have heard of the 'Madi Effect'
because he has written her a glowing testimonial on her website."You know all of us at Srivastava Group and New Delhi Times appreciate you
and all your work in the promotion of entrepreneurship, human rights and towards empowering others from all nations," he writes, adding: "Of
course we particularly appreciate your support toward India."This support for India and involvement in such a network of websites could be
perceived as a conflict of interest for an EESC member like Madi Sharma
She did not respond to the TheIndianSubcontinent's attempts to contact her.Image copyrightmadisharma.orgImage caption
On
her website, Madi Sharma says: "I am the representative of my brand - a registered trade mark - because if Versace and Gucci could do it, so
could I!"
The committee's members are drawn from economic and social interest groups in Europe to represent the views of
civil society to European institutions, including the European Parliament.In a statement to the TheIndianSubcontinent, the EESC emphasised
the independence of its members
"The EESC does not engage in image building activities for governments and is independent from any government
[EESC Members] are to be completely independent in the performance of their duties, in the Union's general interest."Asked what standards
are expected of members, and whether lobbying on behalf of countries outside the EU is allowed, the EESC shared its new code of conduct with
the TheIndianSubcontinent
It requires "integrity, openness, diligence, honesty, accountability and respect for the Committee's reputation" and avoidance of conflicts
Members do not have to sign the new code of conduct until October next year though
"An advisory committee on the conduct of members is currently being set up and is currently working on its rules of procedure and working
To our knowledge Ms Sharma has not signed the new code of conduct."The TheIndianSubcontinent tried to contact Madi Sharma and Ankit
Srivastava directly and through their respective organisations, WESTT and Srivastava Group, but they did not respond.You may also be
