Indian Polity Is Strong but Pakistan’s Venomous Attacks Can Temporarily Damage Our Social Fabric
By Tilak Devasher
July 27,
2020
There has
been a sharp increase in Pakistan’s vicious information war campaign against
India. An analysis would reveal three triggers: The Balakot attack of February
2019, the return of the BJP government in the May 2019 elections and the August
2019 revision of Article 370.
There has been a sharp increase in Pakistan’s vicious information war
campaign against India.
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Balakot
demolished Pakistan’s longstanding assumption that the nuclear equivalence
guaranteed that India would not retaliate against terrorist attacks. The return
of the BJP government signalled that India would continue to follow a muscular
policy for the next five years. The Article 370 decision demolished the
centrepiece of Pakistan’s nationalism — “Kashmir Banega Pakistan” — and raised
apprehensions about India’s plans for Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
(POJK).
These
developments have forced it to shift the emphasis of its anti-India strategy
from fomenting terrorism supported by an information war component to an
information war supported by terrorism.
Pakistan
has two main instruments working in tandem for the furtherance of this policy —
the ISI and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The ISPR is a
one-stop-shop for the info war against India. It has, over the years, recruited
thousands of youth, trained them in the mechanics of social media and used them
to project anti-India themes.
The core
Pakistani objective is to demolish “Brand India” by attacking its key
components — an inclusive and secular society, democratic polity, decisive
government, a developing economic powerhouse and strong foreign policy. This
has been done by trying to polarise society and disrupt social cohesion. The
expectation is that such a strategy would have a cascading effect, adversely
impacting India’s secular and democratic credentials, scare foreign investment
and lead to questions about its international image.
The key platforms
for this strategy are Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook. A large number
of fake social media accounts, especially on Twitter, have been created. Even
though Twitter is not the most popular platform in terms of numbers in either
India or Pakistan, it is perhaps the most effective form of instant
communication. Pakistan has developed malicious narratives embellished with
fake audio and video clips. The use of handles with phoney Middle Eastern
identities is the latest addition to its bag of tricks.
Internal
developments and dissent in India have been manipulated, packaged and used to
develop a narrative damaging India’s social fabric. Key themes include India
disenfranchising Muslims, and the “fascist Indian government’s” Hindutva
supremacist ideology.
On J&K,
the key themes are: Kashmir is a “disputed territory” awaiting solution under
the UN resolutions; India needs to talk to Pakistan to resolve the issue and
since India refuses to talk, there must be international intervention;
Kashmiris want “azaadi”; Kashmiris are waging a jihad against India; the Indian
Army is violating the human rights of Kashmiris. Recently, they are propagating
that India is preparing a false flag operation and genocide of Muslims in
Kashmir.
What is
noteworthy is that the same anti-India narrative is repeated ad nauseam from
every medium and platform — whether it is politicians like Imran Khan or Shah
Mehmood Qureshi, the ISPR, or print, electronic and social media.
One
indicator of Pakistan’s strategy is available in the Pakistan Army’s Green Book
2020. An article by Lt. General Raza Muhammad Khan (Retd.) states: “With the
proliferation of the internet, nowadays nothing can escape exaggeration,
distortion and fabrication to manipulate perceptions on crucial issues of peace
and security.” Another article by one Farzana Shah states: “A single video clip
or picture can change the perception of India, which it has built so
painstakingly over the years.”
For India,
there has to be a relentless vigil and battle against this campaign just as
there has been against terrorism fomented by Pakistan. Even though the Indian
polity is strong, such persistent venomous attacks can temporarily damage our
social fabric. We must not allow ourselves, wittingly or unwittingly, to fall
prey to such machinations to polarise society, even temporarily.
Tilak
Devasher is Member, National Security Advisory Board and author of three books
on Pakistan. Views are personal
Original
Headline: Pakistan’s information war campaign against India needs attention
Source: The Indian Express
URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/indian-polity-strong-pakistan’s-venomous/d/122476