War of disinformation between India and Pakistan in the Panchir

Published on : 09/20/2021 – 11:54

The Taliban claimed, on September 6, the capture of the Panchir Valley, while the Afghan resistance claims that the region is still under its control. But where the situation in Afghanistan has given rise to attempts at disinformation is mainly in the Indian media, with false claims targeting … Pakistan. Here are two examples.

For the Taliban, the capture of Panchir – the province of the “Five Lions” in Persian – in northeastern Afghanistan, is a major issue because it is the last pocket of active resistance in the country. Deemed difficult to conquer because of its reliefs, it has become a symbolic conquest for the new masters of power.

But the Panchir is also an issue for Pakistan and India. Indeed, the rivalry between the two powers in the region can be observed in Afghanistan. Pakistan, through its Prime Minister, Imran Khan, welcomed the capture of Kabul by the Taliban and welcomed the departure of allied forces. India, for its part, fears that Afghanistan will become a sanctuary for Islamist groups, especially those operating in Kashmir.

Thus, some Indian media, such as India Today or Zee Hindustan, have not hesitated to disseminate old photos or videos out of context to misinform. These two intoxes were in particular spotted by our Indian colleagues specializing in the verification of BoomLive and Alt News.

If you want to know more about the false information in the Panchir, you can also consult this article from our colleagues from France Info.

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