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Thursday, 15 May 2025

OP SINDHOOR TALK BY BRIG HEMANT MAHAJAN IN PUNE S M JOSHI HALL ,NAVI PETH ,16 MAY 25 06PM-08 PM

ALL ARE REQUESTED TO ATTEND

 

Pakistan's Growing Reliance on Chinese Military Hardware


Pakistan has increasingly turned to China for its defense needs, a strategic shift highlighted by the acquisition of advanced weaponry such as the HQ-9 air defense system and PL-15 missiles. While the United States and Europe have historically been key military technology suppliers to Pakistan, this growing dependence on Chinese arms signifies a new direction in Pakistan's defense modernization efforts.

Quality Concerns Plague Chinese Military Equipment

However, this shift is not without significant drawbacks. Reports have surfaced detailing substantial quality issues with Chinese military equipment. In 2022, it was revealed that at least four F-22P frigates, commissioned by the Pakistani Navy in July 2009, were causing considerable operational challenges. These vessels, procured from China Shipbuilding Trading Company (three directly and one built in Karachi under technology transfer), suffered from defects in critical systems. These included faulty on-board missile system imaging devices, malfunctioning infra-red sensors and SR 60 radars, as well as reduced engine speed due to high turbocharger exhaust temperatures. These defective components and inadequate after-sales service from Chinese manufacturers have severely hampered the operational readiness of these frigates.  

Operational Failures Undermine Confidence

The consequences of procuring seemingly cost-effective but unreliable Chinese equipment have been evident in operational failures. Pakistan's HQ-9 air defense system reportedly failed to provide adequate protection against Indian missile strikes during Operation Sindoor, which precisely targeted terrorist infrastructure, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters, and numerous air bases. Similarly, Pakistan's PL-15 air-to-air missile also reportedly failed to hit its intended targets during exercises observed by the Indian military. Furthermore, claims that Pakistan's Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets downed advanced Indian aircraft have not deterred India's substantial air power, nor have these jets demonstrated an ability to strike targets within India. These instances suggest that Chinese systems like the HQ-9 and PL-15 lack the proven reliability and effectiveness of their Western or Russian counterparts.  

Affordability and Financing Drive Chinese Arms Purchases

The primary driver behind the increasing acquisition of Chinese military equipment by countries like Pakistan is cost. In an environment of constrained defense budgets, the financial burden of acquiring military technology can be substantial. Chinese systems, encompassing air defense, fighter jets, and missiles, are often significantly more affordable than comparable systems from the US, Europe, or Russia. This affordability is particularly attractive to nations with limited defense spending capacity. Beyond lower initial costs, China frequently offers more flexible financing options, including loans, extended payment plans, and deferred payments. These terms enable countries to procure advanced weaponry without the immediate financial strain often associated with Western or Russian alternatives, which typically demand significant upfront payments and have less accommodating credit terms. For Pakistan, facing financial instability and external pressure related to military expenditures, Chinese military deals offer a pathway to modernize its defense capabilities without imposing severe economic burdens. This contrasts sharply with Western suppliers, who often have stricter conditions and less favorable financing arrangements.  

Geopolitical Considerations and China's Approach

Beyond economic factors, geopolitical considerations also play a role. A 2022 RAND report highlighted that between 2018 and 2021, 48 countries, predominantly smaller nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, received Chinese weapons or private security contractors. China's largest customers are in South Asia and Africa, with a growing presence in South America. The report suggests that China also benefits from countries in the Middle East and North Africa seeking to diversify away from Western military suppliers. China's motivations in these regions include building soft power and enhancing its global image, similar to the objectives of its Belt and Road Initiative. The report further noted that China is less selective in its arms sales, with fewer political conditions attached. In Africa, profit and market share acquisition appear to be key drivers. For countries concerned that their human rights records, financial instability, or regime type might impede arms purchases from Western suppliers, China remains a viable option.

Long-Term Concerns About Reliability and Support

However, the low quality of Chinese military equipment has negatively impacted its arms exports, with a 23 percent decrease observed between 2013-17 and 2018-22, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. While affordability and limited alternatives may remain compelling factors for developing nations seeking to upgrade their military capabilities, persistent concerns about the long-term reliability of Chinese equipment and the adequacy of training and maintenance contracts could deter complete dependence on Chinese suppliers. The RAND report concluded that if recipient countries continue to perceive Chinese military equipment as unreliable or find support lacking, they may reconsider their reliance on China.  

Conclusion: A Calculated Risk for Immediate Benefits

Ultimately, the appeal of Chinese military systems lies in their affordability and accessible financing. For smaller nations, these systems offer a means to modernize their forces without the crippling costs associated with more advanced Western or Russian alternatives. While systems like the HQ-9 and PL-15 may not match the reliability or sophistication of their Western counterparts, they represent an affordable option for countries like Pakistan to maintain a degree of parity in regional military developments. For Pakistan, the strong strategic partnership with China and the favorable financing terms make the acquisition of these systems an attractive, albeit potentially risky, proposition where immediate financial and geopolitical benefits outweigh concerns about long-term dependability

India Needs Its Own BBC: The Case for a Global Public Broadcaster Post-Pahalgam A Historic Moment for Action

On May 7, 2025, India launched “Operation Sindoor,” a strategic military offensive aimed at dismantling terrorist strongholds in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This operation was a direct response to the tragic Pahalgam terrorist attack, which occurred in April 2025 and claimed 26 innocent lives. While the military campaign marked a significant victory against terrorism and its sponsors, it exposed a critical struggle for narrative control, highlighting a significant flaw in India’s global outreach.

The War of Narratives: India’s Vulnerability

The international media coverage of the recent India-Pakistan hostilities has often been characterized by speculative narratives and unverified claims. This reporting has frequently undermined India’s documented military successes while amplifying Pakistan’s unsubstantiated assertions. Despite India’s armed forces presenting concrete evidence of targeted strikes, many outlets hastily framed the conflict as a “stalemate,” adhering to a superficial “both sides” narrative.

For instance, Al Jazeera falsely reported the capture of an Indian female pilot, a claim quickly debunked by officials from both nations. Additionally, the Middle East Eye circulated unverified videos suggesting India sought third-party mediation, contradicting Pakistan’s silence on India’s claim that it requested a ceasefire after sustaining heavy losses.

Western media often echoed Pakistan’s claims, such as the unverified downing of “five Indian jets.” CNN cited an anonymous French official to validate one jet’s loss, while The National Interest controversially declared an “unambiguous Pakistani victory” based on dubious assertions and exaggerated praise for Chinese missile technology. This rush to judgment overlooked India’s tactical triumphs, such as the Navy's strategic pressure on Karachi, which was pivotal in prompting Pakistan’s ceasefire appeal.

The Need for a State Public Broadcaster

India must establish its own authoritative, state-supported international broadcaster to combat hostile narratives and assert its voice on the global stage. This broadcaster should serve as a credible and culturally resonant voice for the nation, focusing on three core mandates: countering misinformation, advancing strategic interests, and projecting India’s civilizational ethos.

Unlike existing platforms, this new broadcaster should combine the reach and trustworthiness of traditional media with the agility of digital platforms. It should operate under an expanded Prasar Bharati framework but function as a legally autonomous entity with limited political interference.

To ensure stable financing, it should be primarily funded by a government-allocated, non-lapsable corpus fund, avoiding the budgetary uncertainties that have plagued other public broadcasters. Additionally, public-private partnerships could help reduce reliance on taxpayer money, with collaborations for thematic programming and initiatives.

Engaging Content and Global Reach

The broadcaster can revolutionize India’s global media presence by prioritizing dynamic, audience-centric content. News and current affairs would form the backbone, supported by hyperlocal bureaus producing regional bulletins. Flagship debate programs with globally recognized moderators would enhance credibility.

High-production documentaries showcasing lesser-known traditions and digital formats like reels and podcasts would engage younger audiences. This approach would enable India to capture hearts and minds effectively.

Conclusion: The Urgency of Action

The conflict with Pakistan highlights a crucial truth: in today’s interconnected world, controlling one’s narrative is as vital as defending borders. India’s lack of global media influence risks its stories being told by others. As India rises as a geopolitical and economic power, it must wield the megaphone of soft power with equal vigor as its diplomatic and economic tools.

The cost of inaction is steep, as it allows biased portrayals by Western media to prevail. Now is the time for India to invest in a Global Public Broadcaster, transforming its "soft power deficit" into a cornerstone of global influence. In the battle for hearts and minds, silence is not an option. India must speak, and the world must listen

A Historic Moment for Action

On May 7, 2025, India launched “Operation Sindoor,” a strategic military offensive aimed at dismantling terrorist strongholds in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This operation was a direct response to the tragic Pahalgam terrorist attack, which occurred in April 2025 and claimed 26 innocent lives. While the military campaign marked a significant victory against terrorism and its sponsors, it exposed a critical struggle for narrative control, highlighting a significant flaw in India’s global outreach.

The War of Narratives: India’s Vulnerability

The international media coverage of the recent India-Pakistan hostilities has often been characterized by speculative narratives and unverified claims. This reporting has frequently undermined India’s documented military successes while amplifying Pakistan’s unsubstantiated assertions. Despite India’s armed forces presenting concrete evidence of targeted strikes, many outlets hastily framed the conflict as a “stalemate,” adhering to a superficial “both sides” narrative.

For instance, Al Jazeera falsely reported the capture of an Indian female pilot, a claim quickly debunked by officials from both nations. Additionally, the Middle East Eye circulated unverified videos suggesting India sought third-party mediation, contradicting Pakistan’s silence on India’s claim that it requested a ceasefire after sustaining heavy losses.

Western media often echoed Pakistan’s claims, such as the unverified downing of “five Indian jets.” CNN cited an anonymous French official to validate one jet’s loss, while The National Interest controversially declared an “unambiguous Pakistani victory” based on dubious assertions and exaggerated praise for Chinese missile technology. This rush to judgment overlooked India’s tactical triumphs, such as the Navy's strategic pressure on Karachi, which was pivotal in prompting Pakistan’s ceasefire appeal.

The Need for a State Public Broadcaster

India must establish its own authoritative, state-supported international broadcaster to combat hostile narratives and assert its voice on the global stage. This broadcaster should serve as a credible and culturally resonant voice for the nation, focusing on three core mandates: countering misinformation, advancing strategic interests, and projecting India’s civilizational ethos.

Unlike existing platforms, this new broadcaster should combine the reach and trustworthiness of traditional media with the agility of digital platforms. It should operate under an expanded Prasar Bharati framework but function as a legally autonomous entity with limited political interference.

To ensure stable financing, it should be primarily funded by a government-allocated, non-lapsable corpus fund, avoiding the budgetary uncertainties that have plagued other public broadcasters. Additionally, public-private partnerships could help reduce reliance on taxpayer money, with collaborations for thematic programming and initiatives.

Engaging Content and Global Reach

The broadcaster can revolutionize India’s global media presence by prioritizing dynamic, audience-centric content. News and current affairs would form the backbone, supported by hyperlocal bureaus producing regional bulletins. Flagship debate programs with globally recognized moderators would enhance credibility.

High-production documentaries showcasing lesser-known traditions and digital formats like reels and podcasts would engage younger audiences. This approach would enable India to capture hearts and minds effectively.

Conclusion: The Urgency of Action

The conflict with Pakistan highlights a crucial truth: in today’s interconnected world, controlling one’s narrative is as vital as defending borders. India’s lack of global media influence risks its stories being told by others. As India rises as a geopolitical and economic power, it must wield the megaphone of soft power with equal vigor as its diplomatic and economic tools.

The cost of inaction is steep, as it allows biased portrayals by Western media to prevail. Now is the time for India to invest in a Global Public Broadcaster, transforming its "soft power deficit" into a cornerstone of global influence. In the battle for hearts and minds, silence is not an option. India must speak, and the world must listen

Wednesday, 14 May 2025

Pakistan’s Offensive Information Operations During Operation Sindoor: The China Nexus and India’s Response

 


Introduction

In the wake of the Pahalgam massacre, India launched Operation Sindoor, a swift and multifaceted response aimed at punishing the perpetrators and deterring future cross-border terrorist actions. While the military operations unfolded with precision on the ground, another war was simultaneously being waged in the digital and psychological domains—an information war. Pakistan, with active technical and strategic support from China, unleashed an aggressive disinformation and perception-management campaign to undermine India's actions. India, for its part, mounted a coordinated counter-offensive to mitigate and neutralize the impact of these psychological operations.

This article analyses the nature, objectives, and tools of the Pak-China information warfare during Operation Sindoor, and assesses India’s counter-disinformation strategy in response.


1. Objectives of Pakistan's Information Warfare

Pakistan’s information operations during Operation Sindoor were not merely reactive but pre-planned, aimed at achieving several objectives:

  • Delegitimizing India's Military Action: Labeling Operation Sindoor as disproportionate or targeting civilians.
  • Internationalizing Kashmir: Painting the conflict as a humanitarian crisis deserving global intervention.
  • Inciting Domestic Unrest in India: Using communal narratives to spark unrest in sensitive regions, especially in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.
  • Demoralizing the Indian Population and Security Forces: Circulating fake news of Indian casualties, defections, or military failures.
  • Undermining India’s Global Image: Associating India with human rights violations and war crimes.

2. China’s Role: A Silent Catalyst

China played a strategic enabler’s role in Pakistan’s disinformation campaign. While not overtly involved in propaganda against India, its contributions came in the form of:

  • Technology Transfer: Facilitating AI-enabled deepfake tools, automated bots, and social media amplification technologies.
  • Training and Doctrine: Sharing expertise on "Three Warfares" (Psychological, Media, and Legal) to guide Pakistani planners.
  • Cyberspace Infrastructure: Hosting or supporting disinformation portals and news aggregators operating from offshore locations (e.g., Turkey, Malaysia, and Eastern Europe).
  • Joint Information Campaigns: Aligning anti-India narratives in Chinese state media to amplify Pakistani propaganda, particularly in the Global South.

3. Tools and Techniques Used by Pakistan

A. Fake News and Deepfakes

Doctored videos allegedly showing Indian Army atrocities circulated across WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram in multiple languages, including Arabic, Bengali, and English. Deepfakes of Indian generals "confessing" to excesses were used to sow confusion.

B. Bot Armies and Hashtag Wars

Tens of thousands of automated bots, often coordinated from Pakistani intelligence-linked IT farms, flooded platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube. Hashtags like #FreeKashmir, #SindoorGenocide, and #IndianTerrorism trended with artificial engagement.

C. Proxy Influencers

Islamist influencers, ex-UN officials, Western left-wing journalists, and select South Asian diaspora figures were co-opted to give legitimacy to Pakistani narratives.

D. Misuse of International Institutions

Pakistan attempted to manipulate UN platforms and human rights watchdogs by submitting fabricated dossiers, images from unrelated conflicts (like Gaza and Syria), and engineered testimonies.


4. India's Counter-Information Warfare Strategy

India, having learned from previous experiences in Balakot and Galwan, had a multi-tiered response mechanism in place for Operation Sindoor.

A. Strategic Communications Cell (SCC) Activation

A war-room consisting of officers from the Indian Army's Information Warfare Division, MEA, MHA, and cybersecurity experts was activated to coordinate messaging, crisis response, and media outreach.

B. Rapid Fact-Checking and Debunking

India launched real-time debunking operations via PIB Fact Check, MyGov, and affiliated independent fact-checkers. Every viral fake image or video was dissected and exposed with geolocation, metadata, and expert testimony.

C. Offensive Narratives

India also projected its own narratives of righteous retaliation, victims of the Pahalgam massacre, and proof of terror camps inside Pakistan. Leaks of intercepted Pakistani military communications were strategically released.

D. Diplomacy and Information Fusion

The MEA proactively briefed global capitals, embassies, and international media to pre-empt Pakistani lies. Select war correspondents and influencers were embedded in frontline units for transparency.

E. Legal Warfare

India exposed Pakistan’s misuse of global forums and lodged formal complaints against propaganda websites, forcing some to be taken down by domain registrars and tech platforms under anti-disinformation clauses.


5. Challenges Faced by India

Despite its preparedness, India faced key difficulties:

  • Speed of Viral Content: Disinformation often reached millions before India could counter it.
  • Bias in Global Media: Western liberal media sometimes echoed Pakistani claims without proper verification.
  • Internal Amplifiers: Some Indian influencers, driven by ideology or ignorance, unwittingly shared Pakistan-generated content.
  • Cyber Intrusions: Attempts were made to hack media portals and impersonate government websites to push fake content.

6. Lessons for the Future

  • Creation of a National Information Warfare Doctrine integrating civilian agencies, armed forces, and academia.
  • Investment in AI-driven counter-disinformation platforms with multilingual capabilities.
  • Pre-emptive PsyOps to dominate the information domain before kinetic operations begin.
  • Media Literacy Campaigns to educate the public about fake news and narrative manipulation.
  • International Coalition-Building with like-minded democracies to counter authoritarian disinformation ecosystems.

Conclusion

Operation Sindoor demonstrated that modern warfare is no longer confined to battlefields. Information is now both a weapon and a battleground. Pakistan, with China’s backing, attempted to seize the narrative space, but India's coordinated civil-military response managed to contain much of the damage.

In future conflicts, information warfare will only grow in intensity and sophistication. India must continue to evolve, invest, and prepare for this new era of digital battlespaces, where perception often precedes reality.

 

Sunday, 11 May 2025

must tell Donald Trump and America that if they are India's friends, they should help practically

https://x.com/ANI/status/1921444997716468059?t=hQXuAQwV0zdWi4bm25Mwxw&s=08 

Pune, Maharashtra | On US President Donald Trump's post, Defence Expert Brigadier Hemant Mahajan (retd) says, "... Earlier, Donald Trump had stated twice that he had no interest in the Kashmir conflict, and now suddenly, he's trying to play a peacemaker. When he tried to negotiate between Ukraine and Russia, neither Russia nor Ukraine listened to him. Similarly, nobody listened to him when he tried to negotiate between Hamas and others. So now he's trying his hand at India... Pakistan cannot be trusted. Donald Trump's negotiations have no meaning. We must tell Donald Trump and America that if they are India's friends, they should help practically. We require technological intelligence, high-end technology, and drones. They should focus on this rather than giving us advice... Pakistan violated the ceasefire yesterday because it wants to start a grey zone warfare. This means that by sending drones over us, for which we have to enforce blackouts, they are harming our economic activity and airfields... So we have to give the same treatment to Pakistan. A five times harsher punishment must meet every action of theirs so they think twice before carrying out the next ceasefire violation."

Cease Fire केल्याचा अमेरिकेचा दावा खोटा | Hemant Mahajan | Hindusthan Post

Hemant Mahajan Ind Pak Ceasefire : अमेरिकेने मध्यस्थी करुन नाक खूपसलं : ...