The official fact-checking account of India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has vehemently refuted several bogus statements that have been making the rounds on social media, labelling them as contrived and deceptive attempts to disseminate misinformation regarding India's foreign policy and defence issues.
According to reports, India and the UAE were developing an emergency naval evacuation plan (using Fujairah port) to relocate Indian citizens if air traffic was disrupted as a result of growing tensions in West Asia.
However, the MEA's official fact-check account issued a "Fake News Alert" in a blatant denial of news that India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were negotiating an evacuation plan for Indian nationals living overseas through the port of Fujairah.
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According to a widely reported story in The Times of India, both nations were preparing a deal to enable the evacuation of thousands of Indian workers through the port in the United Arab Emirates.
"There is no basis in fact for such a story," the fact-check post said. There are no plans for an evacuation. Please be on the lookout for such unfounded and malicious accusations. Officials made it clear that there are no such talks or agreements between the UAE and India about evacuation via Fujairah or any other comparable arrangement.
A newspaper heading, titled "India, UAE working on pact to help in evacuation of Indians via Fujairah port," was also included in the post.
The MEA also issued a "Deepfake Video Alert" in a different warning after an AI-generated video purporting to be MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal started making the rounds on social media.
Along with other bogus accusations, such as assertions about water supplies to Pakistan, the edited film falsely stated that India had acknowledged losing Rafale fighter jets.
The MEA declared that the spokesperson had never made such remarks and categorically denounced the video as fraudulent.
"This is an AI-generated video intended to spread disinformation," the caution stated. "Please stay alert against such fake videos and content on social media."
The film was digitally manipulated and part of a planned disinformation campaign, according to PIB Fact Check, the Press Information Bureau's fact-check unit.
It further advised people to only use official government sources to confirm any facts and to avoid believing or disseminating content that has been altered.
In order to confirm that no such statements were ever made, PIB Fact Check underlined that the actual, unaltered video of the MEA briefing is accessible to the public via official channels.
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Officials pointed out that several propaganda accounts from Pakistan were responsible for the dissemination of these false headlines and films, which were intended to misrepresent the truth and harm India's reputation abroad.
Authorities have once again urged people to exercise caution, refrain from disseminating content that hasn't been validated, and only trust official government communications for correct information.
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