Since the Indian government revoked Article 370 in August 2019, effectively integrating Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) fully into the Indian Union, Pakistan has mounted an aggressive global propaganda campaign aimed at internationalising the issue.
However, six years later, Islamabad’s efforts have not only failed to gather meaningful diplomatic traction but have also exposed the hollowness of its narrative. India’s consistent diplomacy, factual transparency, and visible progress on the ground in Kashmir have blunted Pakistan’s disinformation campaign.
Pakistan’s Propaganda Playbook: An Exercise in Futility
In the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan launched a coordinated diplomatic offensive targeting international organisations like the United Nations (UN), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and human rights bodies.
Pakistan’s objectives were clear: to paint India as an aggressor, portray Kashmir as a conflict zone under siege, and press for international intervention.
At the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and Human Rights Council, Pakistani diplomats, including Prime Minister Imran Khan at the time, accused India of human rights violations and attempted to frame the revocation of Article 370 as illegal under international law.
Social media campaigns, fabricated videos, and statements from radicalised diaspora groups were employed to create a false image of unrest and mass suppression in the Valley.
However, these tactics largely failed to resonate. Most countries, including the major powers like the United States, France, Russia, and even traditional allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), viewed Kashmir as India’s internal matter.
The lack of support was not just diplomatic. It reflected a broader loss of credibility on Islamabad’s part, given its known support for terrorism and lack of democratic transparency.
India’s Strategic Counter: Diplomacy Rooted in Transparency
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), backed by on-ground administrative reforms and development projects in Jammu and Kashmir, mounted a calm yet firm rebuttal of Pakistan’s claims.
India allowed delegations from the European Union (EU), UN observers, and foreign journalists to visit the Valley to assess the ground situation. These visits consistently showed that Pakistan’s depictions were not aligned with reality.
Indian diplomats, instead of reactive outrage, relied on policy briefings, media transparency, and showcasing tangible governance outcomes, ranging from improved infrastructure to investment summits and the conduct of peaceful local body elections.
These actions contrasted sharply with Pakistan’s rhetoric, which was increasingly seen as stale, alarmist, and disconnected from facts.
International policy analysts such as Michael Kugelman (Wilson Center) and Christine Fair (Georgetown University) have noted that Pakistan’s Kashmir narrative is rooted more in ideology than pragmatism.
“Islamabad’s focus on Kashmir is more about domestic legitimacy and military control than genuine concern for Kashmiris,” Fair remarked during a recent South Asia strategic forum.
Kashmir Today: Development, Stability, and Democratic Participation
On the ground, Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed significant transformations post-Article 370. Infrastructure development, increased tourist footfall, and investment in the healthcare and education sectors have contributed to improving the quality of life.
Terror-related incidents have seen a steep decline, while youth engagement in sports, technology, and entrepreneurship is rising.
Democratic processes have also gained momentum. The conduct of Panchayat and DDC (District Development Council) elections with strong voter participation demonstrated that people are increasingly willing to engage with democratic governance rather than separatist ideologies.
This undermines one of Pakistan’s core talking points: that Kashmiris are uniformly opposed to Indian governance.
These facts have been supported by diplomatic missions and global media outlets that visited the Valley, with many publications such as Le Monde, The New York Times, and The Telegraph providing a more balanced picture that negates Pakistan’s claims of mass repression.
Why Pakistan’s Narrative Failed
There are four key reasons for the collapse of Pakistan’s global Kashmir propaganda. Pakistan’s continued support for terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed eroded its moral standing. Constant repetition of unverifiable human rights claims without substantial evidence turned audiences away.
With the world focusing on larger threats like China’s assertiveness and Russia’s war in Ukraine, Pakistan’s Kashmir rhetoric failed to find strategic relevance. India’s fact-based narrative, supported by transparency, development, and democratic process, steadily counters and dismantles falsehoods.
The Way Forward
While Pakistan is unlikely to abandon its Kashmir fixation — especially given its domestic political utility — it now faces diminishing returns. The international community is more inclined to engage India on technology, trade, and counter-terrorism than to entertain outdated separatist narratives.
For India, the focus must remain on inclusive development in Jammu and Kashmir, further integration of youth in economic and democratic processes, and continued global engagement based on facts and results. The truth on the ground, backed by credible reporting and evidence, remains India’s strongest weapon against Pakistan’s falsehoods.
In the battle of narratives over Kashmir, truth, transparency, and transformation have decisively triumphed over propaganda, paranoia, and political theatre.