India made a bold move on Wednesday by blocking the X accounts of China's state-run media houses, Global Times and Xinhua News Agency, for spreading disinformation and Pakistani propaganda in the face of increased tensions with Pakistan.
This action came after it was found that the two outlets were actively promoting falsehoods and mischievous tales, especially during and after Pakistan's retaliatory strikes to India's successful military campaign, 'Operation Sindoor.'
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) was at the forefront of taking this decision based on national security and public order concerns.
As officials say, Global Times, an outlet aligned with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), along with its ally Xinhua, was perpetuating hoax news, among them a highly viralled assertion that an Indian Rafale aircraft had been brought down near Bahawalpur — something which India promptly countered.
Earlier, the Indian Embassy in China had sent a strong warning to Global Times on X, asking the publication to "verify facts and cross-examine sources" before disseminating such misinformation.
Responding to one of the false posts, the Embassy stated, "Dear Global Timesnews, we would suggest you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this type of disinformation."
The Embassy further stated that "Several pro-Pakistan handles are circulating unsubstantiated news in the context of #OperationSindoor, trying to mislead the public. When media sources publish such news without cross-checking, it is a grave deviation from responsibility and journalistic standards."
The Rafale jet scam was traced back to a photo from a 2021 crash of a MiG-21 in Punjab's Moga district. The Fact Check unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) marked the photo as false, cautioning the public to "Beware of old images posted by pro-Pakistan handles in the current context."
India's precision strikes of 'Operation Sindoor' attacked terrorist networks based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that had killed 26 civilians.
As a counter response to India's strong military measures, some platforms that support Pakistan and the CCP initiated a virtual campaign of spinning the narrative via disinformation. India quickly stepped in to close access to those platforms.
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