By Laraib Nadeem

For years Pakistan has drawn attention of international community to India’s baseless propaganda campaigns and Disinfo Lab’s to undermine and damage the country’s reputation and security profile. India funds extremist anti- Pakistan organizations and so-called think tanks to malign Pakistan in the most bizarre ways possible.

A glaring example of how Indian venomous propaganda actually works can be seen in the recent London Heathrow Uranium cargo incident. This was clearly and Indian botched attempt to malign Pakistan as an irresponsible nuclear state. Like many in the past, this too miserably failed and got badly exposed within a day wherein international media brought facts to the fore much to dismay of the Indian government.

However, as expected, story was picked up by the Indian media, facts were twisted and portrayed as if Britain was fearing a dirty bomb sent from Pakistan. The information first appeared in a British tabloid magazine, The Sun, which stated that the package was under investigation but there was no threat to the public. Pakistan rejected the reports that a uranium-tainted cargo package originated from Karachi, saying the news is "not factual". However, Indian media still picked up the news and reports were propagated in an attempt to muddy the waters.

It is ironic that just recently uranium was being sold in Indian cities and nobody raised an eyebrow. Now Indian chest thumping brigades have been unleashed with usual Disinfo campaigns against Pakistan. One thing is clear, the false Indian narratives blaming Pakistan of nuclear mismanagement are part of Indian ambition of becoming a member of NSG and restraining Pakistan to achieve the same position in the nuclear supplier group.

India asserts to have a strong track record in nuclear safety and security, yet a number of occurrences in India raise doubts about this claim. Their media has made a concerted effort to persuade the world of their nuclear capability and Pakistan's negligence in this area, as well as the accusation that Pakistan is engaged in secret nuclear proliferation. I feel second hand embarrassment for Indians at this point. Three uranium theft cases have happened in India recently, confirming the existence of a black market for nuclear materials within the country. It also calls into question the safety and security of India's massive stocks of fissile material.

It’s worth noting that these incidents aren’t new. India’s habitual bashing of Pakistan is as frequent as their nuclear mishaps. Experts on nuclear safeguards have consistently urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to place strict surveillance system over radio-active materials in India. But unfortunately, the international community is keeping a mum on such dangerous incidents. It is the failure of Indian government that such hazardous materials are accessible to the common man so openly. Is it not the Indian state’s responsibility? However, Prime Minister Modi has his priorities set straight which are focused mainly on propaganda against Pakistan, human rights violation in Kashmir and extremist policies against the minorities.

The fact that some individuals stole or mined Uranium illegally raises concerns about nuclear safety and security in India. Uranium can spread considerable radioactivity if used with conventional explosives and it being sold off like a common commodity in the market is not just dangerous for India but also for the world. It could be acquired by the non-state and state actors aspiring for nuclear status. Criminals would waste no time taking advantage of the deteriorating law and order situation in India and using such substances for illicit activities.

The BJP government in India is open supporter of the RSS’s Hindutva. The same ideology that preaches ‘Aakhand Bharat’ on the same lines of Lebensraum (The Nazi expansionist ideology). Nuclear weapons in the hand of people with such aspirations is an active threat to international peace and stability, especially for the next-door neighbor, Pakistan.

There are few other incidents which brought sheer embarrassment for Indian fascist government which also clearly indicates Modi’s India fall from grace in the eyes of world community. Few months ago, Qatar expelled India's Defense Attaché after eight officers of the Indian Navy were arrested and held on charges of espionage. These detained officers were agents of RAW working at Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services in Doha. Such examples simply prove India's aggressiveness and poisonous intentions on a global scale especially in the Gulf. Gulf countries need to watch out and beware of Indian gimmicks which might be directed towards disturbing peace and stability in the Middle East.

While not letting up on doing wicked propaganda, last resort for Indian dubious strategists was to use their film industry as a tool to spread false narratives and portray nuclear power like Pakistan incautious with its nuclear arsenal. As expected, Bollywood has partnered up with Netflix and is scheduled to release “Mission Majnu,” a propaganda Indian movie against Pakistan nuclear weapons this month. Here, Indian propaganda has neglected any grasp of international law and the nuclear non-proliferation framework, as well as the origins of India's nuclear weapons capacity. It is critical for a content titan like Netflix to determine these characteristics before offering material created for Indian audience to a bigger worldwide audience.

This practice must end. The persistent anti-Pakistan rhetoric from India cannot mask its open support for terrorism on Pakistani soil especially in Balochistan or the existence of state-sponsored terrorism. Instead of pointing fingers at others, India should itself end its immersion in terrorism, subversion and espionage against Pakistan to act like a responsible country that respect international norms let alone behave like a so called regional bulwark.