New Delhi is once again peddling misinformation regarding Pakistan, however this time around the attempt is desperate even beyond the low standards India has set for itself. On Tuesday, Pakistan had to reject baseless Indian media reports about a delay in the appointment of its envoy to the US.

The foreign office sent the nomination of Ambassador Masood Khan—who served as the AJK president until August 2021—to Washington in November last year. Though the approval procedure usually takes around eight weeks, this time around the US State Department has sought some more time for the clearance.

Eager to pounce on an opportunity even when there is none, New Delhi sought to exploit this delay and give it a ridiculous spin with the help of its lobby in Washington DC and support from controversial Republican Congressman Scott Perry.

The Indian news agency ANI reported that in a letter to Joe Biden, Congressman Scott Perry urged the US president to reject Khan’s appointment as it would undermine US interests in the region. In the letter penned by the Congressman, it was falsely mentioned that the State Department had placed a “pause” on the approval of the new ambassador and also referred to Mr Khan as “jihadist”.

Some sources placed in DC have played down the delay as a mere procedural matter probably due to the State Department operating on maximum telework because of Omicron. Also, the approval request was sent in at the cusp of the holiday season which was the slowest period of the year. In fact, the State Department has now stated that the approval is under process and it should be completed in the next two to three weeks.

It is quite evident that this is a part of the wider Indian disinformation campaign to malign Pakistan and those who represent Pakistan, by using fake news to make scandalous claims and baseless allegations. The fact is that the Indian lobby is using this procedural delay as an opening to scuttle Mr Khan’s appointment on the pretext of his advocacy for the Kashmiri freedom struggle. The Pakistan Foreign Office has done well to dispel such rumours promptly, but the false claims in the letter by Scott Perry must be exposed and taken up with the US as there can be no tolerance for such attempts at spreading disinformation.