Reema Shaukat
RECENTLY in Indian circles, the opposition parties of India are demanding a probe for a journalist Arnab Goswami, whose leaked WhatsApp chats are making circles in the town. His leaked chats are showing that he had prior knowledge of India’s planned strikes on Pakistan in February 2019. His chats revealed that he had sensitive info about the operations related to air strikes on Pakistan and also the repeal of Kashmir’s special status. This pre-hand information about sensitive issues like national security shows he had strong links inside organizations carrying out such covert operations planning against Pakistan. The leaked WhatsApp conversation was between Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV and Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of TV rating agency, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).As if the Uri attack, Mumbai attacks, other so called false flag operations and surgical strikes melodrama wasn’t enough for India that they created another fuss on Pulwama attack in IOK in February 2019 and blamed Pakistan for its so-called surgical strikes. According to media reports, on 14th of February 2019, nearly 44 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and many others injured when terrorists targeted a convoy with a car bomb at Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Reports suggested that the vehicle used by the terrorists was a Mahindra Scorpio carrying more than 350 kg of explosives.
However, Indian Home Ministry sources said that terrorists triggered the car bomb while 78 vehicles with over 2,500 CRPF men were on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a banned terrorist outfit had claimed responsibility for the attack and Indian Government like always without any investigations blamed Pakistan behind this attack. On 27 February 2019 India tried to violate air-space of Pakistan which was effectively answered by Pakistan Air Force’s Swift Retort Operation. In response to the raid, Pakistan shot down two Indian aircraft and held a pilot, who was later released as a goodwill gesture. Hence the exposed chat between the two Indian journalists shows, how fragile Indian information system is. Now the questions are being raised by many other countries media like how did Goswami get to know about Balakot strikes three days before it took place? Even about the Pulwama attack, where 40 soldiers died, it is a question of national security and how Arnab was privy to such sensitive information. Indian opposition parties and other concerned authorities have said that they will demand a high-level inquiry into this. Indian Congress Party called it a ‘chat-gate” and a regional party governing the western state demanded the central government for a judicial inquiry into these leaked conversations.
While the BJP spokesperson in a defence to these leaked conversations, once again opted to blame Pakistan for this by saying that Pakistan is involved in this conspiracy. On the other side, PM Pakistan in his tweet clearly mentioned while exposing Indian false flag operations, that the latest revelations showed the “unholy nexus” between the ruling BJP and local media, and that it used the regional crisis to win the May 2019 election. Now Indian media while favouring these leaked screenshots of conversation said that BARC officials manipulated ratings in favour of Republic TV. In return, Goswami provided vital data about the Information Ministry to Dasgupta. These screenshots of alleged WhatsApp chats are a part of Mumbai Police’s 3,600-page charge-sheet in the television ratings scam and Goswami being supportive of ruling BJP is known for hosting chaotic prime time debates.
Modi last year in pursuit of his premiership for second time used anti-Pakistan narrative and that plot still exists in India with more intensity now against the Muslims and Pakistanis. Interestingly India honoured its pilot with national award who was captured and returned by Pakistan without thinking that it’s a proof of failed Indian heavy defence investment, deals and arms race which it launches time and again to disturb strategic balance in South Asia. Recently, a massive operation to serve Indian interests by targeting international institutions, through a systematic disinformation campaign against Pakistan and China has been uncovered by EU based organisation. The network is part of the sinister propaganda campaign, part of its Fifth Generation Hybrid Warfare-5GW against Pakistan with an objective to create chaos in the country.
According to the details provided by the EU DisinfoLab, a network of 265 fake media in 65 countries reproducing negative content against Pakistan online was uncovered. So whenever such incidents are exposed by media or other organizations, one can rightly sense how India tries to cover up its bluff by blaming Pakistan and tries to grab sympathies for itself. Same goes for situation in IIOJ&K where it has deployed millions of its armed forces to occupy the territory and break the resolve of innocent Kashmiris. Pakistani PM has always advised the Indian leadership to break the shackles of its past mantra and refrain from targeting Pakistan for every incident in the Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan surely has come a long way to curb menace of terrorism from its soil and when on diplomatic, strategic, economic and international fronts it is successfully rising, India is adopting tactics of blame game to malign Pakistan whenever possible and with such facet India can never be trusted as a neighbour.
—The Islamabad-based writer works as Senior Coordinator at PAYF.
