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Journalism of Courage
It is still not clear whether there is method or madness in the Pakistani intrusion in Kargil, but the Indian air blitz combined with a steady army advance is already bearing fruit. Yet, even as India recovers its heights from the intruders, it should not get caught off-guard in yet another blitz.
The information age demands that war be relentlessly fought on other fronts if ground battles are to translate into strategic advantage: Multiplying television channels, daily government press briefings, easy access to information for enquiring mediapersons, a sharp eye on exploiting photo-ops to hold sway with lasting images and showing proofs of intrusion. So far, it is New Delhi8217;s version of the Kargil conflict that has held credibility 8212; domestically and internationally.
India8217;s response to the proxy war in Kashmir has always been to keep the conflict localised by setting itself threshold limits. This is even more critical after the Pokharan tests, for any spectre of a spillover would only bolster Islamabad8217;s case for third-party intervention.
Pakistan8217;s attempts at nuclear coercion are evident. Its foreign secretary says they can use 8220;any weapon8221; in self-defence, only to later claim he was misquoted; its prime minister raises the war bogey, only to have his wily information minister quip that he was talking in the context of the Indo-Pak cricket fixture.
Amidst periodic provocation from across the border, international goodwill is linked to New Delhi8217;s success in keeping the conflict from escalating. Hence, as this long and bloody summer progresses, world opinion will have to be carefully nurtured taking intoaccount the task ahead and the obstacles along the way. Besides concerted dispensation of information by diplomatic missions abroad, this calls for multi-pronged media management. There has been an improvement in the daily press briefings 8212; alas, far too gradually. As a foreign correspondent quipped, 8220;You need a James Rubin US State Department spokesperson to tell the world what8217;s going on with a twinkle in his eyes.8221;
Domestically too, greater transparency and a show of serene sense of purpose would go a long way in preparing the nation for the casualties and sacrifices ahead as well as in keeping a lid on jingoistic rhetoric 8212; especially as the Kargil campaign coincides with a long-drawn-out electoral battle.
And with Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz8217;s visit round the corner, the government must demonstrate coherence in the twin imperatives to undertake stringent military action on its borders while engaging the Pakistani leadership in negotiations. Pakistan8217;s misadventures are no doubt aimedat keeping Kashmir in the limelight; unfocussed media management and confusion born of conflicting signals would only help Islamabad8217;s case. New Delhi8217;s interests, on the other hand, lie in maintaining the sanctity of the Line of Control. It must explain the whys and hows to its people and the international community at large.
