India’s media war | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

India’s media war

Amidst present imbroglio on the issue of nuclear proliferation, India seems to have forgotten its much-publicised peace initiatives, and taking full advantage of the situation, intensifying propaganda against Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Not only its leadership but also its media have changed their tone.

As the Pakistani media aired statement by renowned nuclear scientist, Dr Abdul Qadir Khan and President Pervez Musharraf announced to pardon him, the Indian leadership sharply reacted declaring it an international issue and demanded an international debate on it.

On the other hand, the Indian state run radio made a novel suggestion that the very ideology of Pakistan must be changed. Above all under the special directives of Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, the Indian missions in London and Washington have become active for Pakistan bashing.

As part of these psychological operations against Pakistan, India’s official websites have also been carrying highly tendentious material on the nuclear programme and the domestic problems of Pakistan besides playing up the issue of so-called cross-border infiltration. The All India Radio (AIR), Zee News, Dur Darshan and Indian-controlled Radio Srinagar and so-called Sada-i-Kashmir have introduced a series of current affairs programmes in which the respectable figures of the history and politics of Pakistan are subjected to contemptuous treatment, its peaceful nuclear programme is condemned, information about the law and order situation particularly in the Sindh province is distorted, the people of Balochistan are misguided and those living in Seraiki belt are incited against their brethren in the Punjab, and above all the religious and cultural values of the Pakistani society are ridiculed.
The AIR has introduced hourly programmes such as Aaj ki Baat, Jahan Numa, Manzar Pasmanzar and Aaj ka Tabsira etc in its Urdu transmission with five to 15 minutes duration, in which anti-Pakistan material is aired through ‘sugar-coated pills’ using literary terms and language. Despite the fact that India herself, in a bid to fulfill her hegemonic and expansionist designs in the region, held major part of Jammu and Kashmir state, disintegrated eastern wing of Pakistan, intruded her troops into Sri Lanka, invaded the Maldives and committed aggression in a far-flung Island, Fiji, the state-controlled AIR remains engaged in maligning Pakistan for its peace-oriented nuclear programme and moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri freedom fighters.

AIR’s Baat, Jahan and Manzar always remain confined to Pakistan only. In the Punjabi transmission, Jullundur Radio is constantly engaged in ‘informing’ the people that the people of both Indian and Pakistani Punjab have common history and common socio-cultural values and that the ‘partition’ (unfortunately, most of the Pakistani authors also use the said term instead of ‘independence’), is temporary and ultimately, Akhand Bharat (Great India) would reemerge. Similar exercise is also being repeated in the case of Sindh.

The only solution to the law and order situation in Sindh created by desperados including the RAW agents, is suggested in the creation of Sindhu Desh, despite the fact that Pakistan has sufficient proof of India’s involvement in Sindh crisis.

The most hostile propaganda comes from Srinagar and Jammu radios in both Urdu and Kashmiri transmissions. Though programmes of these stations originate from New Delhi but an impression is given as if these are being aired from Srinagar and Jammu. Developments taking place anywhere in South Asia whether it is in Sri Lanka, Bhutan or in Bangladesh, are always linked with Pakistan and a conclusion is drawn that Pakistan has posed a grave threat to the peace and security of the region, as it is ‘meddling with the internal affairs of other countries’.

Besides fanning sectarianism and regionalism among Pakistanis through regional programmes and attempting to demoralise the Kashmiri freedom fighters through the programmes like Kaath Baath in Kashmiri transmission, the AIR, in an attempt to mislead the world public opinion especially the Muslim Ummah about Pakistan, has introduced ‘spotlight’-like programmes in English.

According to a survey, India has spent trillions of rupees on hostile disinformation operation against Pakistan. Since the fall of Dhaka, it has got published 715,678 articles against Pakistan in the newspapers of different countries, distributed 101,900 books and produced 111,700 movies.

Besides, the Indian government has released more than 1,105,000 photos to different news agencies and the international newspapers and got printed over 157,000 pamphlets. The AIR, Zee News and Dur Darshan set a record of 1,107,000 hours anti-Pakistan propaganda during this period.

In addition to an extensively wide network of All-India Radio, more than 37 Indian television channels are at present day and night busy in Pakistan-bashing.The fact remains that falsehood has not feet to stand upon. The Indian propaganda managers should realise that everyone cannot be deceived every time and the facts sooner or later are bound to come to light.

Therefore, instead of distorting the history, they should learn a lesson from it in the interest of peace and security
Source: The Nation
Date:2/19/2004