FIA identifies social media account spreading fake news about Pak army

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing has discovered several accounts spreading fake news about the Pakistan Army and Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Mohammad Naveed Afzal — who is an overseas Pakistani and a resident of the Jhang district — claimed that COAS Gen Bajwa attended the August 14 ceremony, which was held at the London Embassy.

However, the video played on social media is of the army chief’s visit to Ukraine in May 2021, said the investigating authorities.

According to the investigating officials, Naveed has been running negative social media campaigns and is a PTI activist. Sources said that hateful news being spread on social media is a part of a well-thought-out conspiracy. Earlier this month, an ex-office bearer of the PTI’s student branch disclosed that he ran a smear campaign on social media against the Pakistan Army soldiers. He stated that he was ashamed and apologetic for what he did and that he did it because of the influence of “certain people”. Moreover, another PTI member confessed that he ran a smear campaign on social media against the Pakistan Army. He later apologised for his anti-army remarks and stated that he had spread hateful propaganda on the request of his political party.