Govt8217;s spin doctors take the field

So has the BJP-led Government lost the propaganda war? The brains behind the Lahore bus trip think not. They believe there was an understanding between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India that the conflict would not be politicised. So, no politicians would be speakingfrom either side the fact that Mushahid Hussein, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif8217;s right hand man, was on BBC on the day of the air strike calling it a 8220;provocative act8221; appears to have escaped their notice.

As for George Fernandes8217; statement on Friday that Nawaz Sharif was not involved in the incursions, they say the Defence Minister has since been 8220;spoken to by the Prime Minister8221;.

However, Atal Behari Vajpayee himself has not said a word directly on this after the air strikes were launched on Wednesday, even though he did mouth generalities at the PSLV launch at Sriharikota. As far as the Government is concerned, it is on a winning pitch, even if the nation does not know for sure that 8220;400 infiltrators have been killed in Kargil8221; or that 8220;concrete structures they built in Indian territory have been demolished8221;. They are making light of the conspiracy of silence between May 6, when an Army patrol noticed about 10 infiltrators east of Batalik, and May 26, when the MiG was shot down, bysaying the idea was to 8220;keep things absolutely calm8221;.They hadn8217;t reckoned with the confusion in government ranks, which is reflected in its often contradictory stands. The Ministry of Defence MoD briefing says Drass is a crucial post recovered from infiltrators. Brajesh Mishra says it isn8217;t. The Ministry of External Affairs briefing there have been only two so far blames the situation in Kargil on the Pakistan Government, though in the afternoon the Defence Minister says neither the ISI, nor the Pakistan Government is involved.

Even when Nawaz Sharif calls Vajpayee on Friday and Mushahid Hussein briefs the media about it, there is no one from the Indian side to confirm it until the Saturday, 11 a.m. MoD briefing. It takes the Associated Press to release a picture of the captured Indian pilot, Flight Lieutenant K. Nachiketa, but despite everyone8217;s best efforts, no one from the MoD is willing to part with information on him.

Yet the Government claims it is organised. On Saturday, it released detailsof a Pakistani soldier and another jawan8217;s rucksack, identity tag and cap to prove the Pakistani Army8217;s existence on Indian territory. It organised an hour-long MoD briefing for leaders of all parties. There is also talk of sending a group of journalists by road to see the bunkers that have been bombed out and the sophisticated weaponry left behind the earlier plan of sending them by air on Wednesday was vetoed by the Army. The government has also, finally, released to news agencies footage of infiltrators being trained in Pakistani camps.

The Government is also taking heart in international news agencies finally referring to the infiltrators as being Pakistan-sponsored and pointing to the sympathy it has generated with its 8220;restraint8221; across the world. Media managers are also speaking of the Prime Minister addressing the nation when 8220;things clear up8221; and of the MoD having a late-night briefing to catch the evening news, a decision cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security, and to be implementedwhen 8220;it is essential8221;.

Till then, it will be hamara Brajesh against unka Mushahid.