Pakistan Exposes Indian-Backed Digital Propaganda Network Using Bot Farms and Payment Gateways

ISLAMABAD - Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced on Sunday that Pakistan's security agencies have exposed an Indian-backed digital network using bot farms and Indian payment gateways to run propaganda campaigns targeting Pakistan, its armed forces, and state institutions through content related to the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) .

🇵🇰 Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says security agencies have exposed an Indian-backed digital network using bot farms and Indian payment gateways to run propaganda campaigns targeting Pakistan, its armed forces, and state institutions through AJK JAAC content. pic.twitter.com/m8YA9ldyYI

- Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) July 26, 2026

Arrest and Investigation

Tarar announced the arrest of a man working in digital marketing services whose business activities were allegedly linked to India . The suspect is accused of receiving payments from India in exchange for running a "network of misinformation" in Pakistan .

According to Tarar, the suspect, with the help of bot farms, spread and made viral anti-state content targeting Pakistan's security, government, army, army chief, and state institutions .

Evidence of Indian Involvement

The minister presented screenshots of transactions and posts allegedly part of the misinformation campaign, which promoted:

• Sectarian violence

• Recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

• Anti-state and anti-army narratives 

"The man had a WhatsApp chat with his Indian handler, where they discussed post views, money, and account details," Tarar claimed .

Investigators discovered that payments were transferred in small amounts to avoid detection by financial monitoring units .

JAAC Connection

The arrested suspect confessed that most of the content he received was related to the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) . Tarar described a "JAAC-anti-state nexus," claiming that the now-proscribed group aims to harm the Kashmir cause and weaken Pakistan's relationship with Kashmir .

The information minister stated that the government now has "irrefutable evidence" of the group's ties to India .

Digital Warfare Methodology

Tarar explained that Indian-funded troll farms operating on social media often sought digital marketing services . The investigation uncovered that the entire disinformation network was operated through bot farms .

Despite the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), forensic investigators traced multiple network accounts back to India .

Government Response

The government is now investigating digital payment gateways used in the operation . Tarar emphasized that such campaigns aim to undermine public trust in state institutions but will not succeed.

"Their nexus with anti-state elements is now clear as daylight," Tarar stated, adding that the group is now "answerable to the entire nation for taking funding from the enemy" .