For & Against: Pakistan's narratives about India

In the new and modern mode of human living on this planet, social media and digital media have suddenly assumed a great significance. They have brought every wave of mental acrobatics of people at large to the full glaze of the world. Though these powerful means provide a large platform to the bunch of positive narratives yet they don't hide the narratives having a negative potential aimed at to further escalate the existing tough situation. In this regard, the relations and a build-up of narratives in Pakistan about India also find a good space on the social and digital media in Pakistan and they have a large viewership throughout the world.

The year 2023 witnessed a large multiplication of both the media handlers as well as the viewership of these Pakistan based social media operatives. They have left far behind the conventional media in Pakistan unconventionally. Moreover, the Indian viewership has also grown on these platforms. The primary reason for such a huge rise in their viewership is due to the marching advancement of India in various fields of activity that has caught the attention and also the imagination of people in Pakistan. It includes besides other fields, the events relating to the organisation of the G20 Summit in India, Chandrayaan-3 successful programme, India's overwhelming achievements in the economic field, super-show of India in the Asian Games in China this year, India's successes in Cricket Asia Cup and the ODI CWC2023 in India in addition to the general political and social emancipation in India as compared to Pakistan.

Unfortunately for Pakistan, the existence of its socio-political narrative in all fields has remained caged in the hands of a powerful lobby of India-hating politicians, rigid bureaucrats, stubborn military establishment, fundamentalist clergy and blood-thirsty terror regime. The net result of their policies all these decades have brought Pakistan to such an isolation internationally that even the OIC has started distancing themselves from it, overtly and covertly. Pakistan's economic crisis at domestic level has further exposed these policy makers before their public. These kinds of disenchantment and realisation have given birth and rise to a new and different class of people, mostly young in Pakistan. It is this class of people, though comparatively small, that has occupied a sizeable part of the social media and digital media in Pakistan and has shown willingness to assess and analyse things in relation to India objectively.

People who remain quite active on various modes of media like Shah Mehmood Qasoori, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Fawad Chaudhary, Mariyam Sharief, Bilawal Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar, all ex-ministers, Abdul Basit, ex-ambassador, Zafar Hilaly, former diplomat, Hamid Mir, Ahmed Raza Khan Qasoori or Zaid Hamid (Lal Topi) etc are pursuing the same old, orthodox and rotten line to take forward their narrative in regard to India. They have continuously lived in a denial mode all along and are selling the same stuff to the people of Pakistan compelling them to live in a make-believe world of their own.

Their commentaries which are completely disconnected with the domestic, economic and geopolitical ground realities in Pakistan have further hardened their narrative as usual. Unmindful of the consequences, they even sometimes go to the extent of waging a fresh war against India. In this context, a video clip of a past public TV debate in Pakistan suggested pointed nuclear options against India. This clip is already doing rounds on the social media. The panelist, Ahmed Raza Khan Qasoori in his atrocious comments on the topic forcefully advocated for nuclear attack on India. He went to the extent to suggest to "erase India and Hinduism from the earth by this action" presuming as per his views that "though Pakistan would also be simultaneously destroyed in such an action yet 56 Islamic countries would survive in the world in the bargain". Such mindless minds have been building public narratives in Pakistan since its inception and ARK Qasoori further added that "Pakistan ought to make this option known to the world once and for all"....!

During the last three months of hectic international cricket, extensive coverage on Pakistan media brought some interesting facts to the fore. Various conspiracy theories in regard to the Cricket World Cup involving ICC, BCCI and even Indian public and also the government of India were brazenly floated and were given high intensity hype by them. Though senior cricket players like Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja, Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Amir Sohail rubbished such theories openly yet the Pak media in general stuck to their fake narratives. Hate-India mind-set was not only visible on all forms of media throughout but was also encouraged to take the centre stage of the debates thereon. However, some selective channels in Pakistan took a rather cautious position and tried to showcase their rational approach as well.

Regardless of all this negativity, as discussed earlier, there exists an emerging class of people in Pakistan with a positive approach. They have made their presence felt and have occupied a notable space on the social and digital media. Some electronic channels have also followed suit. A good number of UTubers, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) users and other social media and digital media handlers, both men and women, have made their impact in rebuilding a positive narrative. Their approach towards issues relating to both India and Pakistan is by and large not only rational but also reasonable. Most of these handlers are young but they seem quite rejecting the negative narrative outright in regard to India. A majority of them are appreciative of India's progress and developing prosperity and recognise India's emergence as a strong global power. They also give vent to their feelings publicly aimed at to have good and friendly relations with India.

This particular new class of social media handlers belonging to Pakistan comprise teachers, advocates, barristers, businessmen, explorers, journalists, strategic experts, media analysts and students with high qualifications residing in Pakistan, Europe and America. It would be appropriate to give them credit and recognise them as the genuine influencers to bring a positive impact on the Pakistan's narrative building. They also recognise the fact that India and Pakistan have a common history and civilization and have thus common heritage which needs to be taken ahead without the failure-baggage of the last seven decades.

Some of these young and old Pakistanis who are making a positive impact include besides others, Sajid Tarar, Arzoo Kazmi, Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, Dr. Qamar Cheema, Dr. Amjad Ayub Mirza, Barrister Hamid Bashani, Hassan Nissar, Arif Ajakia, Aliya Shah, Fakhar Yousufzai, Sohaib Chaudhary, Junaid Akram, Iman Bhat, Moazzam Bhat, Huma Amir Shah, Abbas Shabbir Ali, Sana Amjad, Naila, Shaila, Abid Ali, Amara Iftikhar, Abrar Hassan, Suleman Saif, Suleman Muteeba, Arsalan Naseer and Muhammad Furqan Bhatti. Here it would be important to add that out of all news channels in Pakistan during the last three months of extensive cricket coverage, Samaa TV played a unique and balanced role generally and particularly so in context of India. Its young team of anchors and analysts have shown far more positive and objective approach thereby creating a healthy narrative representative of the new class of the emerging narrative builders in Pakistan.

It would be important to add here that some of the above mentioned people have also visited India in the past. During the year 2023, three of them got Indian visa to visit India for three different reasons. They are, Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, Abrar Hassan and Abbas Shabbir Ali. They visited different places in India and were in India for weeks together and took with them their sweet memories and experiences. Right from the word go, they have been sharing their memories and experiences in India with the people at large. They are explaining their point of view about the general attitude of Indians, their way of living, progress and development that India has made, functioning of institutions in India and also the comparison between India and Pakistan. They mince no words in telling their people at home that India was miles and miles ahead of Pakistan and could be compared with any advanced nation of the world. They also feel sorry that Pakistan as a state failed to move ahead like India and got stuck in its own cobwebs of fake narratives all along till date.

While it is satisfying to find that a parallel unorganized institution of narrative builders is fast emerging in Pakistan, however, this instituion has a bigger challenge to overcome. The challenge is within and from the well organised institution of old and traditional narrative builders who have got perpetual protection of the establishment in Pakistan. Keeping in view the larger impact of the social media on the younger generations globally, the new and emerging class of positive narrative builders in Pakistan has a better scope of acceptance among the younger and better educated people with aspirations to live a better and peaceful life. It is time to encourage the emerging better options available and in this context it would also be beneficial to take this debate and discussion forward in order to yield motivating results.

(The author is a senior BJP and KP leader, author and columnist.)