The BBC’s designation of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist militant separatist group has sparked concerns about the factors driving Pakistani men to join this organization. According to sociologists, at the heart of this issue is a disturbing trend – many defectors cite a loss of faith in their country, largely influenced by Indian content accessible in their homes, despite PEMRA’s ban on such content.
This phenomenon highlights the insidious nature of PsyOps, which can span decades, subtly manipulating public perception. The proliferation of Indian-backed content, often biased against Pakistan, has contributed to a decline in trust in the military establishment among rural Pakistani men. Consequently, these individuals are more likely to join separatist militant groups like the BLA, rather than the Pakistani armed forces.
The role of soft power media dynamics cannot be overstated. By disseminating content that promotes an anti-Pakistan agenda, India has effectively exploited Pakistan’s regulatory vulnerabilities. PEMRA’s and PTA’s inability to enforce their own regulations has allowed ISPs and cable companies to illegally broadcast Indian content, further eroding trust in Pakistani institutions.
This strategic manipulation of information has severe consequences. As rural Pakistani men increasingly consume Indian-backed content, they become more sympathetic to India’s perspective, undermining their loyalty to Pakistan. The gradual erosion of trust in the military establishment has created a fertile ground for militant groups like the BLA to recruit disillusioned individuals.
The Pakistani government must acknowledge the gravity of this situation and take decisive action to strengthen intellectual property regulatory frameworks and enforce existing laws. By doing so, they can counter India’s soft power tactics and restore trust in their institutions. The war of narratives is a long-term battle, and Pakistan must develop a comprehensive strategy to combat the influence of hostile foreign content and promote a unified national identity.
This issue also matters with the USTR’s 2025 Special 301 Report around the corner. As covered by Express Tribune, the report could result in POTUS placing sanctions on Pakistan as punishment for allowing it’s ISPs and telecoms to openly pirate American media.
Last year, this investigation exposed that every telecom and every ISP in Pakistan openly pirates American and Indian content & channels. The investigation includes evidence of which companies – some with American partners – operate ISP services that air American channels & content without distribution rights. The investigation also shows which telecom companies – some owned by the Emirati government – operate apps that pirate American and Indian movies.
Pakistan’s government has blocked the Daily Dot site in September due to this story exposing Pakistani remote IT companies infiltrating American AI companies. The reporters identified G2i as a talent marketplace that supplied the Pakistani remote IT workers to ScaleAI. The Pakistani remote IT workers portrayed themselves as US-based engineers by either using the SSN data of actual Americans or by conjuring identities.
ScaleAI is among the AI companies with a voluntary commitment with the White House for taking measures to mitigate insider risk. Being infiltrated by Pakistani industrial espionage actors doesn’t help. This investigation by the Daily Dot comes two month after the US DOJ took actions against North Korean remote IT worker fraud schemes. Google’s cybersecurity arm covered it on the Cloud blog.
WPP’s and IPG’s agencies in Pakistan have been exposed giving advertising revenue to publishers that were impersonating local representatives of Vogue, Billboard, and People magazines. Meta has shut down Instagram and Facebook accounts of companies pretending to represent the media brands of magazines Vogue, Billboard, People, and many more. The story was also covered by ProPakistani.