Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda, is best remembered for his ‘Big Lie Theory.’ “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it,” suggested Gobbels.
Adolf Hitler expressed a similar sentiment in his 1925 book Mein Kampf, where he accused Jews and Marxists of using it as a propaganda tactic: “The great masses of the people… will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.”
Hitler argued that ordinary people are less likely to suspect massive falsehoods because they themselves would not tell lies of such scale.
Of late, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media and public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, seems to be borrowing tools straight from the Nazi propaganda playbook.
The ISPR has started referring to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants as “Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij.”
While the subtle change in terminology could be dismissed as routine propaganda tactics by the discredited ISPR, a closer analysis will reveal that this change in terminology can have a profound and long-lasting impact on changing the narrative and discourse around Pakistan-based terror and militant groups.
Although these groups are the direct result of decades of Pakistan’s official state policy to support, finance, aid, and arm these groups, first against the Soviets and then against India, Islamabad now hopes to implicate New Delhi for the existence of such groups, thereby drawing a false equivalence between India and Pakistan.
Islamabad hopes that by repeating this “big lie,” sooner or later, it will be able to achieve its long-standing strategic goal of hyphenating India with Pakistan.
New Attacks
At least 12 soldiers were killed in an ambush by the Pakistani Taliban in northwest Pakistan on Saturday.
A military convoy was passing through a town in South Waziristan district at around 4:00 am when “armed men opened fire from both sides with heavy weapons”, killing 12 security personnel and wounding four, a local government official said.
The Pakistani Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on social media.
In an “encounter that took place in South Waziristan District, thirteen more khwarij were neutralised by the security forces. However, during intense fire exchange, twelve brave sons of soil, having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat (martyrdom)”, the ISPR said.
From 10-13 September, thirty five Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
On reported presence of Khwarij, an intelligence based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in Bajaur…
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) September 13, 2025
ISPR’s Ulterior Word Play
THE recent ISPR press releases are worth noticing and deserve a serious academic ‘deconstruction’ exercise.
On September 2, the ISPR tweeted: “During early hours of 2 September 2025, in a cowardly terrorist attack, Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij targeted Federal Constabulary Headquarters in Bannu District.”
“The Indian sponsored Kharjis attempted to breach the perimeter security, however, their nefarious designs were swiftly foiled by the vigilant and resolute response by own troops,” it added.
“Displaying unwavering courage and professional excellence, own troops engaged the Kharjis with precision and eliminated all five khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” the ISPR statement said, adding “The security forces of Pakistan, in step with nation, remain steadfast in their resolve to eradicate Indian sponsored terrorism from the country.”
On 9-10 September, nineteen Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell in three separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
On reported presence of Khwarij, an intelligence based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in general area… pic.twitter.com/fA6eMWXZGj
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) September 11, 2025
The statement by the ISPR referred to the TTP militants as “Khwarij”. Furthermore, the brief statement mentioned India four times in the following terms –
- Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij
- Indian sponsored Kharjis
- Khwarij belonging to the Indian proxy
- Eradicate Indian sponsored terrorism from the country
Again, on September 11, ISPR made another post on the social media platform X.
“On 9-10 September, nineteen Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell in three separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.”
“During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, fourteen Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the ISPR statement added.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from Indian sponsored killed Khwarij,” it said, adding “the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian Sponsored Terrorism from the country.”
Similarly, ISPR statements in July and August also used similar phrases like Indian-sponsored Khwarijs.
On night 7/8 August 2025, movement of a large group of khwarij, belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwaraj, who were trying to infiltrate through Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was detected by the security forces in general area Sambaza, Zhob District of Balochistan.
Own troops… pic.twitter.com/kNneEMrZrW
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 8, 2025
Two broad points stand out from these statements.
(1) Instead of using TTP militants or terrorists, Pakistan is referring to them only as “Khwarijs”.
(2) Pakistan is using the term “Indian sponsored Khwarjis” and “Indian sponsored terrorism” repeatedly in every official statement.
Let’s unpack both of these terms.
Why Khwarij Instead Of Terrorists?
In August 2024, Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Interior issued a notification describing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as “Fitna al-Khawarij.”
The notification said that the TTP has distorted the image of Islam under the guise of religion. It further clarified that the term “Kharij” will be used alongside the names of these terrorists to expose their true identity.
The notification emphasized that the TTP has irrevocably damaged Islam and that these terrorists have no genuine interest in the religion.
The Ministry of Interior’s notification instructed all Government institutions to implement these directives immediately.
According to the notification, titles such as ‘Mufti’ and ‘Hafiz’ were not to be used for individuals associated with terrorist outfits, while in all correspondence and documents, the term “Khariji” would be written and read before their names.
Who Are The Khwarij?
According to the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, the term Khawarij means renegades and comes from the Arabic word that means “those who left”.
It refers to a group of Muslims who were initially followers of the fourth caliph of Islam, Ali Bin Abi Talib. Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad. This group, which was later known as Khawarij, went against Ali and broke away from him. They excommunicated Ali and subsequently killed him as they claimed that he did not rule by God’s laws.
“Khawarij were believed to be the first Muslim group to practise the excommunication of believers (takfir) and legitimize violence against those whom they deem infidels.”
The extreme Khawarij position was that Muslims who commit grave sins effectively reject their religion, entering the ranks of apostates, and therefore deserve capital punishment.
The decision to use ‘Khwarij’ instead of TTP served two purposes for Pakistan.
One, Pakistan is trying to show that the TTP movement has nothing to do with Islam. Instead, by calling them ‘Khwarij,’ meaning “those who left,” Islamabad is trying to emphasize that the TTP is harming the cause of Islam.
Secondly, by giving the TTP a new name, Islamabad wants to underplay Pakistan’s deep role in the financing, aiding, and arming of the group.
Is TTP Indian-Sponsored?
Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a direct offshoot of the Afghan Taliban. Formed in 2007, the group not only shared its ideology with the Taliban, but also its initial cadres came from the Taliban.
According to the US National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), “TTP is an alliance of militant networks formed in 2007 to unify opposition against the Pakistani military. TTP’s stated objectives are the expulsion of Islamabad’s influence in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan, the implementation of a strict interpretation of sharia throughout Pakistan, and the expulsion of Coalition troops from Afghanistan.”
“TTP leaders also publicly say that the group seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Pakistan that would require the overthrow of the Pakistani Government. TTP historically maintained close ties to senior al-Qa‘ida leaders, including al-Qa’ida’s former head of operations for Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s role in aiding, financing, and arming the Afghan Taliban and providing them with safe havens in the country during the US’s ‘War on Terror’ is well known.
It is worth recalling that in 2011, the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton openly blamed Pakistan for harboring terrorists and warned Islamabad that its policy of aiding terrorists would come back to haunt Pakistan.
“You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect it to only bite neighbours,” Clinton has forewarned.
“Militants should be targeted on both sides of the border,” she said, adding that eliminating the terror group from “one side is not going to work”.
Pakistan was central to the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in August 2021. Islamabad celebrated the Taliban’s victory in Kabul, hoping to use Afghanistan as a strategic bulwark against India.
However, the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan reenergized the TTP.
Pakistani officials have also sought the Afghan Taliban’s assistance in dealing with the group.
In 2022, the U.N. said that those efforts had made some progress.
“Mediation from the Taliban has led to a reduction in TTP attacks against Pakistan,” a 2022 U.N. report found.
A ceasefire was reached between the Pakistan Army and the TTP in June 2022, with the mediation of the Afghan Taliban. However, the ceasefire broke in November 2022, following the retirement of Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, who had supported the initial ceasefire.
Despite efforts, no new ceasefire could be reached with the TTP since Gen Asim Munir took charge as Pakistan Army Chief.
It is clear that India is not a party to the dynamics between the Pakistan Army, the Afghan Taliban, and the TTP.
The Timing Behind The Move
It is also important to note that Pakistan decided to refer to TTP (now ‘Khwarijs’ in the new Islamabad terminology) and other Pakistan-based terror groups as “Fitna-al-Hindustan” only since May 31, 2025.
“The federal government has officially designated all terrorist groups operating in Balochistan as ‘Fitna al Hindustan’, accusing India of sponsoring a proxy war against Pakistan,” the Express Tribune reported on May 31.
So, Pakistan decided to use the term ‘Fitna al Hindustan,’ barely weeks after India’s Operation Sindoor, where the Indian military targeted nine terror camps based in Pakistan.
This was a strategic decision on the part of Islamabad to draw a false equivalence between India and Pakistan. The objective is to push a narrative that both New Delhi and Islamabad mutually blame each other for terrorism in their countries.
Islamabad hopes that when pushed repeatedly, the international audience would conclude that either the allegations of both India and Pakistan are correct, or the claims of both are equally untrustworthy.
However, Pakistan’s support of terrorism is well documented. Osama Bin Laden was found in Pakistan. The country has been on the FATF ‘grey list’ three times for financing terror groups. It has provided a safe haven to the Taliban for decades.
It remains to be seen how far Pakistan’s ‘Big Lie’ strategy, inspired by the Nazi propaganda playbook, will be successful in fooling the international community.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
- VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR.
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
