Zaheer Bhatti
WHEN the enemy and its media scheme to build a false narrative against your country image with a malicious campaign using fake websites, it only reflects how far unethically low its rank and file can stoop. India has been caught with its pants down in the European Union Disinfo Lab Report titled ‘Indian Chronicle’ published early this month, revealing its impersonation of over 500 fake local media outlets and Press Agencies in 95 countries to run down Pakistan and China; notable among them the EU Observer, Economist and the Voice of America. This may be news to some, but no surprise to a scribe like myself who has been on record blasting various Indian false flag self-staged operations within India and blamed on Pakistan, be they the poorly staged Delhi Parliament, Pathankot, Uri or the Pulwama attacks which were staged whenever India came close under pressure from within its occupied territory or the outside world powers of settling the issue of Kashmir; ironically succeeding in diverting the world from the core issue, despite each time failing to provide concrete actionable evidence and finally licking its wounds in the still fresh February 2019 humiliation it suffered at the hands of the Pakistani forces.
Disinformation is a crime against humanity as well as the UN Charter and must not be considered a legitimate fifth generation warfare ploy which can be condoned. But it is bitter truth that the influential global vested interests have always played ball and looked the other way; glossing over such morally degraded indiscretion invariably by India and Israel, backed and egged on by the United States which most likely along with its principal allies would again shove this Indian misdemeanour under the carpet unless those who have revealed its true face are determined to take it to its logical conclusion. It was more amusing than irritating to listen to some Indian social media outlets reporting attack across international borders by the US into China and by India into Pakistan, besides the anchors and participants using invectives almost bordering on calling names, against the person of Pakistan’s Prime Minister, its Foreign Minister and its serving and retired military leadership. This only provides testimony to the fact that the forceful narrative and actions of these leaders were badly hurting enemy lines. Whoever by the way gives outsiders the right to determine the credentials and rate the performance of neighbouring country leadership, which was the exclusive domain of its domestic stakeholders! The more former Pakistani self-imposed President General Pervez Musharraf is seen over Indian outlets, the more he comes out victorious rather than being castigated for staging a military coup and hanging on to power, as he takes on the biased one-sided Indian narrative particularly over Kashmir with his forthright and candid tit-a-tat repartee during his face-offs over biased Indian TV channels, without getting embroiled into the distortions presented by the Indian side including its analysts, retired generals and anchors.
Slapping of a twenty thousand Pound Sterling fine upon an Indian TV Channel outlet in Britain by the British Government Regulator for airing anti-Pakistan content only confirms the DisinfoLab Report and the extent to which Indian leadership and its media sleuths were leading the vilification campaign against Pakistan, besides endorsing Pakistani Dossier presented to the UN by Pakistan’s permanent representative. All this is actionable evidence against India which should hang its head in shame; that is if the expression means anything to it. It also remains to be seen if the renowned press agencies and outlets faked by India would proceed against it besides the UN whose writ would yet again get compromised if they took no action.
With the enemies of Pakistan breathing fire and using all degrading methods against Pakistan, it is tragic not just to see the political opposition in Pakistan mainly comprising accidental leadership ascribing to itself the right to family rule despite an array of politicians among their ranks which have unfortunately acquiesced to such phony leadership devoid of any political knowledge or experience, which exudes bankruptcy of political knowledge in seeking unconstitutional ouster of Imran Khan in its outings without offering a road map to the people of Pakistan. It is a pity that some media outlets endorse the Opposition chant that the Military Establishment installed Imran Khan as the country’s PM without saying why.
General Khalid Naeem Lodhi, who has held key strategic positions while in service, is a son of the soil, admire most for his candid and forthright analysis mainly of strategic challenges faced by Pakistan and the clarity with which he suggests the way to go about them besides the political landscape he reluctantly but surely places in the right perspective. He was seen challenging Dr Danish and participants from mainstream opposition over their unsubstantiated allegation of military manoeuvring in politics, which if true, ought to have been taken to the Election Commission or the Court of Law at the very outset. But even if for a argument’s sake one were to consider the Opposition apprehension to be true, is it not an admission of weakness and vulnerability of the politicians against the strength of the defence forces they are supposed to command, that they find themselves unable to do anything to stop them except protest meekly! Disinformation is equally lethal if not more, when domestic leadership uses it mindlessly for personal ends within the country, not only weakening its own democratic credentials but inadvertently plays into enemy hands whose media is seen using the Pakistani Opposition narrative against the country with gay abandon. I totally endorse Gen Lodhi’s concern; being equally entitled as anyone in the country who has a vote, to hold opinions on the political landscape; more so as he happens to be representing the proud legacy of those sons of the soil who sacrifice in blood to vouchsafe our security, while we at best only pay lip-service to their martyrdom.
—The writer is a media professional, member of Pioneering team of PTV and a veteran ex Director Programmes.
