Credits to ProPakistani for covering the story, and massive shoutout to Mohammed Zubair for uncovering the truth
India’s mainstream media industry has once again been exposed for its inability to verify basic facts and its continuous propaganda against Pakistan. Several leading Indian media outlets, including NDTV, The Times of India, Zee News, and Asian News International (ANI), ran news for the past couple of days claiming that parents in Pakistan are “locking up” graves of their daughters due to rising cases of necrophilia.
This “Fake News” was covered widely by Indian media. A simple Google search reveals that hundreds of Indian news websites ran the news, with an equally large number of India-based Youtube channels following the same script.
However, leading Indian fact-checker and journalist Mohammed Zubair was the first to question the credibility of the news, stating that it had no credible source. Zubair did not stop at just questioning the veracity of the news. Alt News, a fact-checking website co-founded by him, dug out the details of the story and found that the grave in question is actually in Hyderabad, India.
Alt News sent a Hyderabad-based social worker to the spot in question, who shared photographic evidence that the grave being linked to Pakistan is actually in India. The local Imam confirmed that the grave is approximately 1.5 to 2 years old, and the grille was constructed with a view to preventing people from stamping on the grave, as it is located at the entrance of the cemetery.
This incident is not the first time that Indian media has been caught spreading fake news. Recently, the EU DisinfoLab published two investigations in 2019 and 2020, revealing how Indian news agency ANI quoted sources that do not exist. The investigations also revealed that ANI regularly quoted the defunct “EP Today” and “EU Chronicles,” two fake media outlets that were created to push anti-Pakistan/China narratives in India.
This incident highlights the need for media outlets to verify their sources and fact-check their stories before running them. The spread of fake news not only damages the reputation of media outlets but also has serious consequences for the individuals and communities involved. It is crucial to hold media accountable for their actions and ensure that they prioritize accuracy and ethics in their reporting.
