The Pegasus Project: Pakistan demands UN probe into Indian spy operation

The Pakistani Foreign Office says Pakistan has viewed recent international media reports of Indian government spying activities as a matter of grave concern. Pakistan strongly condemns India’s widespread violation of international norms at the state level and its extensive state-sponsored surveillance and espionage operations.

It may be recalled that the human rights organization Amnesty International and the French media group Forbidden Stories have access to a record of 50,000 numbers. The list includes 14 rulers, human rights activists and journalists from around the world, including Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Pakistan demands UN probe into an Indian spy operation

Seventeen news organizations working on The Pegasus Project with Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories have concluded from the numbers and other materials included in the list that the numbers were used by Pegasus spyware created by the Israeli company NSO. Which user countries are selected.

According to the study, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was selected by India in 2019 as a ‘Person of Interest’.

Pakistan’s foreign office added that it was up to the Indian government to monitor and spy on critics. “The world has seen the face of Indian democracy in the form of the Disinfo Lab report.”

Pakistan has said that it is looking at recent revelations made by international organizations and that India’s excesses will be brought to the attention of international forums.

“We urge the relevant UN agencies to fully investigate the matter, bring the facts to light and hold those responsible in India accountable.”

It should be noted that the presence of the number in the list issued under ‘The Pegasus Project’ does not mean that this person has been hacked or attempted to be hacked by Pegasus. This list appears to determine the individuals selected as ‘Person of Interest’.

However, an analysis of the mobile phones of some of the people on the list revealed that they were later targeted by Pegasus.

NSO, the maker of Pegasus spyware, has consistently insisted that its spyware is sold solely to government agencies after scrutiny, with the sole purpose of deterring terrorist and criminal elements.

What is the Pegasus Project?

On July 18, human rights groups Amnesty International and the French media group Forbidden Stories gained access to a record number of more than 50,000 phone numbers, according to Israeli private company N.Y. The surveillance and espionage were targeted using SO’s spy software ‘Pegasus’.

The list included more than 2,000 phone numbers from Pakistan and India.

For the study, Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories worked with 17 different news organizations. Including the Washington Post, The Guardian, The Wire, Haaretz, Le Monde and others.

It should be noted that with the help of Israeli spy software NSO, the user can access his potential target phone through any phone number and with the help of this he can get all the data of the phone and the phone users. Can also monitor the movement of.

An analysis of the data by Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories found that 12 user countries using NSO’s software not only monitored at least 180 journalists working in 21 countries. Their numbers were selected, but the list of phone numbers also includes the names of government officials, businessmen, judges, and other human rights activists.

According to the study, the NSO users using Pegasus include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Bahrain, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Mexico and others.

What is the response on the list of reports by NSO and other countries?

The Israeli company NSO Group submitted its response to Forbidden Stories and other media outlets, saying the research was based on “misconceptions” and “unconfirmed assumptions” and insisted that the NSO “save lives” Is committed to the mission.

The company says its software is designed to be used against criminal elements and terrorists, and that Pegasus software is sold exclusively to the military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies of those countries. Who has a good human rights record?

The Indian government further refuted any accusations that the charges had nothing to do with the fact that specific persons were being monitored by the Indian government.

“We firmly believe that freedom of expression is a fundamental right and the foundation of our democratic system.”

It should be noted that in the past, the Indian government had denied the claim that they were users of the NSO. Earlier reports from Pegasus revealed that at least 121 people had been targeted for surveillance in India in 2019.

WhatsApp also launched a lawsuit against NSO in 2019, alleging that the company had targeted 1,400 mobile phones through its Pegasus software.