|
Unpalatable and irresponsible behaviour of Pakistani writers
Asif Haroon Raja
The Indian writers draw sadistic pleasure in describing pains and miseries of Pakistan. They derive satisfaction in seeing end results of years of efforts put in by infamous RAW to create misgivings and feelings of despair in the minds of Pakistanis after successfully pitching political parties, ethnic, sectarian and religious groups against each other to polarize the society. The writers take great pains to dig out and sensationalize weak areas of Pakistan and dilute strong points. In other words they convert weaknesses into failures and strengths into weaknesses to project a picture as if every thing is topsy-turvy in Pakistan. To provide added color to their diatribes, a comparison is made with India. While describing the achievements of India, its weaknesses are hidden and strengths blown up out of all proportions.
An impression is given to the outsiders that all is fine in India and all its sides are shining like a sun. Pakistan is described as the villain of peace imbued with multiple ailments like poor governance, weak democracy and institutions, extremism, fundamentalism, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, human and women rights violations, deprivation of rights to smaller provinces, feudalism etc. Religious extremism in Pakistan is demonized to play upon the sensibilities of western countries. Army and ISI are venomously attacked to tarnish the image of these institutions. To lend strength to their propaganda campaign, they draw strength from their common friends USA, western countries and Israel to make the campaign multi-directional and authentic. In return for perks and privileges, think tanks in USA, UK and India in unison are playing a deadly role in poisoning the minds of the world against Pakistan.
Large numbers of journalists, intellectuals, Pakistani anchors and freelance writers inside and outside Pakistan have been cultivated who emit poison against Pakistan. Material embellishments offered to them are so attractive that they sell their souls and go to any lengths to please their pay masters. Devoid of scruples they are principally responsible in spreading gloom and doom through yellow journalism. The interior and exterior media maneuvers help in presenting a false front of Pakistan to the world community which is based on half truths, distortions and falsehood. Certain themes are carefully crafted for the paid writers who then spin into action and keep writing imaginary and concocted stories to prove their jaundiced point of view.
Notwithstanding the fact that Indian media has always played a perverse and caustic role during all Indo-Pak crisis, be it Indo-Pak wars, Kargil conflict, terrorist attack on Indian Lok Sabha or Mumbai carnage, one must give credit that all Indian anchors and writers have faithfully espoused Indian cause and censured Pakistan. There was no dissenting voice from any quarter during these occasions. Otherwise too in normal times Indian writers maintain an anti-Pakistan stance. Currently their focus is on portraying Pakistan as a terrorist and a failed state and its nuclear weapons in danger of getting stolen by militants. Contrarily, Pakistani politicians, anchors, journalists and analysts maintain a flexible approach which tilts towards India. Barring few most writers with secular bent of mind seldom expose Indian grey areas. They derive pleasure in eulogising India and finding faults in all aspects of Pakistan. During Mumbai crisis while Indian media was breathing fire and creating war hysteria against Pakistan, majority of our TV channels and English newspapers lacked requisite fire and fervour to contain media invasion. To prove my point I will quote impressions penned by certain Pakistani writers during Mumbai episode and during our internal turbulences.
Foqia Sadiq based in London in her write up in The News on 4 December expressed her displeasure at the small-scale counter strokes launched by few patriotic anchors and analysts, but ignored majority of Pakistani media anchors and analysts who showed pro-India bias. Foqia named Lt Gen ® Salahuddin Tirmizi and questioned as to why such jingoistic commentator was invited. She had probably either not seen the scenes of bellicosity on Indian channels or pretended to be naïve about it. But for few counter jabs by 2-3 channels, Indian media jingoism would have remained in a state of frenzy. It deliberately stoked emotions of Indians within hours of occurrence of attacks in Mumbai and had gone wild in churning out half-truths and fabrications at an unprecedented momentum. Sentiments of Indian nation were whipped in a manner that great majority in India turned war mongers. Hysterical calls were made by rightist Hindus led by BJP to decimate Pakistan. Purpose of state sponsored media war was to malign Pakistan, its institutions and its people and to harass leadership to achieve sinister objectives. It had almost succeeded in flabbergasting Zardari and Gilani who feeling the heat ceded to the demand of Manmohan to despatch DG ISI. But for sense of patriotism and national spirit shown by the brave and upright ones, India would have achieved its objective without taking any physical steps.
Every country of the world lauded responsible and measured response of Pakistani leaders as well as the media to defuse the situation but Foqia put both in the same basket thereby bailing out Indian detestable jingoism and irresponsible behaviour. In her view Pakistanis should not have defended Pakistan’s honour and dignity that was being soiled and instead should have continued with its traditional policy of appeasement. She failed to mention persistent efforts by highest in the land to cool down raised tempers of Indians and offering all sorts of cooperation. She strongly felt that Pakistani media should not have replied in the same coin. I only hope she expressed her view out of altruistic sentiments and independently and was not tutored.
Rawalpindi based Agha Manzoor Rauf in his letter to editors to News Post of 6 December asserted that Pakistan should have exhibited greater generosity and broadmindedness and accepted Indian request to send DG ISI. He added that a good opportunity had been lost due to misplaced egos. Three cheers to his weird logic but he must have gladdened the hearts of Indians.
After a brief spell of eulogising the army which had launched operation Rah-e-Rast at the request of NWFP government and orders of the PM, acclaims have started to get clouded by self created suspicions, doubts and misgivings about its achievements in Malakand Division. A specific band of spin masters are going the extra mile to promote tutored themes to dilute the achievements of the army. Official versions are always doubted while hearsay and rumours are listened to and turned into facts. Non-issues are turned into issues to create confusion and to distract attention from real issues. Career diplomat and well-read Zafar Hilaly was among the staunchest opponents of Swat deal inked in February 2009 leading to agreement on Nizam-e-Adl. His stinging writings against the Taliban indicate his deep-seated aversion for them in particular and Islamists in general. To give vent to his anger, he vociferously condemned the government and the army for having capitulated to the barbarians.
Once the army operation was launched on 26 April and rapid successes were achieved, he was quick to make a change in his posture and his malice against the army soon transformed into acclaims. He nudged the army to go full hog to eliminate brutal Taliban. He censured those who had reservations about military option or suggested winning over traditionally pro-government tribal leaders. His praises started to water down in about eight-week time and by now have got converted into pungent criticism. He has again started to doubt intentions and sincerity of the army and is not happy with DG ISPR dishing out statistics of killed and injured since he is sceptical whether figures quoted are correct. Like a faithful west lover where he has had long posting spells, he quotes BBC correspondent to lend credence to his scepticism.
He relies on information provided by BBC reporter but rejects DG ISPR briefings as lacking in credibility. The visiting correspondent expected his hosts to line up all the dead bodies of 2000 militants killed in operation since April 26 for his inspection, but since only ½ a dozen captured Taliban were presented to him he showed no interest in them. I reckon, Hilaly is feigning ignorance about biased reporting of BBC which has been traditionally anti-Pakistan and pro-India. On one hand Hilaly expresses his displeasure over the dead and injured daily count, implying that these are fudged, on the other he is dejected as to why Maj Gen Athar doesn’t display dead bodies of killed militants boastfully to emulate the practice of militants.
Zafar Hilali in his last article titled Hard Decisions in The News dated 15th July has acted as the spokesman of India and USA. He favours drone attacks and censures those who disfavour it saying that these anti-drone elements bleat ad nauseam about loss of sovereignty. He strongly pleads the case of USA and terms Afghanistan-Pakistan as single battlefield as envisaged in Af-Pak policy. He supports US military intended desire to cross Durand Line irrespective of recent clarification of Obama that US-NATO troops in Afghanistan would not step into FATA. In simple words, in line with wishes of Pentagon, he wants to render Durand Line open for all. He declares Taliban threat far more dangerous than Indian threat and asserts that Indian animus could be warded off through diplomacy and dialogue. He is strongly of the view that the leadership should take hard decisions to appease USA and India in complete disregard of public opinion and their reservations.
I beg to differ with Hilali. Who would push out US-Nato troops once they establish themselves in FATA and how would their forward march be stopped and at what point? Isn’t it a step towards Greater Pashtunistan as already envisaged by US Think Tanks? Does Hilali really think that USA intends to defeat militants, wind up and exit? It would not vacate Afghanistan without achieving all its objectives in this region and that may take another ten years or so. Among its major objectives, one is to denuclearise Pakistan and the other to make India the regional unchallenged power.
Drawing a curtain over Indian past record of antagonism against Pakistan and its never ending machinations he sees India as a noble neighbour amenable to policy of live and let live. Does he not know that India believes only in coercive diplomacy, political and economic black mail, treachery and use of force? Its stubborn and uncompromising stance on Kashmir dispute is a case in point. No amount of reasoning, logic and appeasement has made India budge from its immoral standpoint. Similar is the case with other disputes with India. Its depravity on water issue is a recent example of Indian neurotic mindset. It is building dams over all the rivers flowing from occupied Kashmir into Pakistan with the sinister aim of making the agricultural lands of Pakistan barren and to force Pakistan to listen to its dictates without a whimper. No amount of dialogue has made any impact on the apparently meek looking Indian leaders.
One of the major reasons that Pakistan has not progressed economically is because of the belligerent stance of India and its machinations to break it up. While Hilali correctly narrated the helplessness of outnumbered Pak troops in East Pakistan in 1971, he failed to highlight the obduracy of Indian leadership from March to 15 December 1971. All our efforts to prevent India from meddling into our internal affairs and to amicably resolve refugee problem through dialogue and mediation of others were rudely brushed aside. It did not heed to any UN Resolution or any face saving formula since Indira Gandhi was bent upon humiliating Pakistan to avenge the Hindus humiliations of 1000 years under Muslim rule. Pakistan is not the only country to suffer at the hands of India. All its South Asian neighbours have genuine grievances against Indian high-handedness. What has Pakistan achieved through its policy of excessive appeasement pursued from January 2004 onwards? Musharraf and now Zardari has pandered to every demand of India howsoever injurious to our national interests and yet India is unhappy. Like USA, it wants Pakistan to do more.
It has made resumption of composite dialogue conditional to Pakistan punishing unproven culprits of Mumbai carnage and to dismantle anti-India terror network in Pakistan. Has Hilali ever bothered to glance at the spiralling defence budget of India and its mad drive to upgrade all its forces? Does he really believe in Indian version that its defence preparations are against China? Has India not settled border disputes with China and has become the biggest trading partner of China? Does he not know that over 70% of Indian forces are poised towards Pakistan? The entire Indian military might was deployed against Pakistan in 2002 and again in 2008. I would like him to glance through Indian Cold Start doctrine which is Pakistan specific. Is he totally oblivious of massive covert operations launched by RAW from Afghan soil against Balochistan and Fata? Does he really not know that fake Taliban are CIA-RAW creation and militants in Swat and Fata are funded, trained and motivated by RAW? This is a carefully planned preparatory manoeuvre to weaken Pakistan from within and create favourable conditions for the main offensive. Having killed and caught dozens of RAW agents and seized huge caches of weapons and ammunition with Indian markings and collected foolproof evidence from the captured agents, only the deaf and dumb would not know who is behind turbulence in Pakistan and with what objectives.
Hilali has expressed his displeasure as to why a small force of over 20,000 has been dispatched to Waziristan to confront 12000 fighters of Baitullah. Like him there are some others who are not satisfied with slow and steady pace of operation in Waziristan. Peace deal with Maulvi Nazir and Gul Bahadur irk them but they look the other way to US overtures towards moderate Taliban in Afghanistan as well as Gulbadin Hikmatyar. Hilali wants each and every militant to be eliminated but in the same breath is distressed over the use of air and artillery. This is strange when seen in the backdrop of his love for drones. He wants infantry to do the killings with its raw hands. What he implies is to shift all troops from India towards western region since like Indian and US leaders; he foresees no threat to Pakistan from India. He fails to spell out basis of his optimism since Indian leaders are still behaving in a hawkish manner. He is expectantly looking towards Zardari and has provokingly nudged him to order Gen Kayani to render eastern border defenceless and shift centre of gravity towards the north-west. Given the track record of India and its unabated bellicosity, it will be height of stupidity if we still rate India as friend of Pakistan.
The writer is a defence and political analyst based at Rawalpindi and author of several books.Email:ah.raja@yahoo.com
|