Claims and casualties of propagandaTHE FRIDAY TIMES:The Indian propaganda machine came into action within hours of the hijacking of flight IC 814. Indian television started blaming Pakistan for the incident long before the hijackers were identified or made any demands.Indian commentators declared that they expected the hijacked aircraft to end up in Afghanistan while the plane was still at a military airbase in Dubai.The official Indian media, spearheaded by Doordarshan, came into action a little later. By day three of the hijack ordeal, Indian television was showing documentaries painting Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.Comparisons were made with Libya, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Cuba. The objective of the entire exercise was clear. The hijacking incident would end at some point in time as all such tragedies do. Why not milk it for maximum advantage in painting Pakistan as a rogue state in the eyes of the world? Pakistan's response on the propaganda front was slowand somewhat ineffective.To begin with, we only had PTV with its limited credibility while the Indians could wage a multi-pronged battle, using the private networks of satellite channels they have built over the years.Zee TV started out some years ago as an entertainment outlet and projected itself as a South Asian, rather than Indian, organisation. It was perceived as neutral by some to an extent that PTV recruited its current Managing Director from Zee's marketing team. But during the course of the recent hijacking drama Zee TV's status as a quasi-official Indian propaganda organisation became obvious.The usefulness of the private Indian channel in regional propaganda exposed the lack of vision of successive Pakistani regimes that refused permission for private radio and television in the country. The Indians trotted out a virtual army of commentators to build their case.PTV, on the other hand, put the same faces on air periodically, looking dour and saying similar things. While the Indians puton a multi-piece orchestra, ours was a limited instrument band. The international media had more material originating from India, tilting the international propaganda balance in India's favour.Something similar had happened during the ill-fated Kargil operation. Having won a tactical victory on the high altitude battlefield, Pakistan lost the media war. We must fight India on the propaganda front as a nation, not as a government. The talent of the entire nation must be mobilised to convince the world that Pakistan is not a sponsor of terrorism, that it is a responsible nation, that it respects international law.
