INDIAN MEDIA – PROPAGANDA MACHINE OF INDIAN GOVERNMENT

15.09.2020
There is very famous saying of Dashanne Stokes, “Truth is hard, and propaganda is cheap.” 
 
Pakistan is among few countries of the world that has sacrificed thousands of its people including officers and personnel of law enforcement agencies, while fighting against the menace of terrorism and extremism. However, unfortunately, there are few countries who are maligning Pakistani government and its armed forces for not acting enough against terrorism. Among these countries, India is on the top of list. 
 
Since the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the power corridor of India, Indian Media is being used as propaganda machine especially to undertake anti-Pakistan rhetoric. The hawkish and warmongering Indian nationalist establishment has given free hand to Indian Media, especially to malign Pakistan, over flimsy grounds. Except few Indian Media outlets such as The Hindu and NDTV which kept balanced observations on Pakistan, entire Indian media fraternity is blindly toeing the line of Indian establishment. The flaws in Indian domestic in domestic issues are totally being ignored by Indian Media. The negative reporting by Indian Media has created psychological impact in the minds of Indian masses.     
 
Likewise, Indian Media, being propaganda machine of “Modi Sarkar” is airing negative content against Pakistan by distorting the facts and figures. The main reason behind the anti-Pakistan reporting is to divert the attention of Indian masses from the failed policies of Modi government. Since the inception of Modi government, Indian economy is at its lowest ebb. Indian stock exchange has crashed many times in last few months. Corruption allegations has engulfed Indian political and economic spectrum. The agriculture sector in Indian has collapsed. Farmers in the country are staging agitation against the government’s economic policies. In addition to this, Hindu fanatics are also still undertaking same stance given to them by BJP government. 
 
When we talk about human right, since the arrival of Modi as PM, the track record of human rights in India has broken all previous records. The minorities are under severe threat where Hindu zealots are threatening them, they are being attacked and killed, and their properties are being vandalized. Despite these social, economic disparities, Indian Media, instead of condemning these disparities, is proliferating nationalist approach and Hindutva Ideology. With this approach of both Indian Media and government, the “Nehruvian concept of Secular India” is being vanished from Indian society socially and gradually. The New India, under the trio of Modi-Shah-Doval is taking dangerous turn and putting regional peace in jeopardy due to its belligerent policies. 
 
Under the so called secular Indian, entire Jammu and Kashmir is living under the worst kind of humanitarian lockdown, after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of Indian constitution in August last year. There is no access to internet and other basic needs of mankind in Jammu and Kashmir. Interestingly, there is no reporting from Indian Media on these illegitimate and illegal actions of Indian government and armed forces. In lieu of the peaceful protests in some part of Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Media is labeling these protestors as traitor, terrorists and Pakistani agents. The dissident voices, which raised serious concerns about Jammu and Kashmir, are being suppressed. Indian Media preferred not to cover these inhumane actions by Indian armed forces and government.  
 
As I mentioned earlier, Indian Media is running baseless stories against Pakistani armed forces. On 8 September, Indian Chanel World In One News (WION) ran a false story regarding indoctrinated camps in Baluchistan. In that story, it was projected that Pakistani Army is running two indoctrination camps, which built on the lines of Uyghurs re-education camps of China for Baloch fighters in a bid to control the situation in its restive southwestern province of Balochistan. It was also said in the report that Baloch people are being indoctrinated. 
 
The sole purpose behind this story was to malign Pakistan’s armed forces and instigate its people against it forces and other law enforcement agencies. The main characters behind these fake stories are RAW agents, who are tasked by their Indian handlers to create sectarian and ethnic rift in the country especially Baluchistan. This is not the first time that Indian Media leveled these baseless allegations against Pakistan government and armed forces. Kalbhushan Jhadev, a serving Indian naval officer who was apprehended by Pakistani agencies, claimed to have links with separatists’ entities in Baluchistan. He confessed that India’s spy agency RAW tasked him to get in touch with Baloch leaders executing operations against civilian government and armed forces. These are the existing and practical examples of Indian involvement in Pakistan. Indian Media is running away from these realities and presenting Pakistan as an aggressor. 
 
At the end I would conclude my argument by saying that Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies and civilian governments are working tirelessly for the development of Baluchistan. The people of Baluchistan are given their rights and shares in all domains due to which militants are once again joining mainstream politics by giving up militancy. In past decade, Pakistan Army carried out successful special operations to eradicate extremism and terrorism in Baluchistan. The people of the province are following the writ of state by cooperating with government and law enforcement agencies. Pakistani intelligence agencies, government and armed forces are doing their utmost to undertake activities of peace and harmony. With its efforts and sacrifices, Pakistani armed forces have eliminated militancy and radicalization from country in general and Baluchistan in particular. Likewise, I’d must say that Indian Media should follow set rules for journalism instead of presenting distorted facts and figures. It is their moral duty to highlight atrocities of Indian armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir against the defenseless and innocent civilians.