Saman Hamid
It is interesting how freedom of expression is rapidly becoming an excuse to delve into sensationalism whilst responsibility and sovereignty are fast approaching redundancy. Three days ago the Indian media became afresh with a serious attack on Pakistan-UAE relations which would have been preposterous if our own media Moguls were not too keen on riding the wave themselves. Published by the ‘monitoring desk’ of one of the leading English newspaper the headline was; “UAE to rethink ties with Pakistan after killing of five diplomats.” On January 10, 2017; Afghanistan was rocked by three blasts in three different areas, one of which was in Governor’s compound in Kandahar while the UAE ambassador was visiting the area. Nine people died while sixteen were injured including the ambassador; Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi. The Kabul and Hilmand bomb blasts were claimed by the Taliban while the Kandahar one had “internal” elements to blame. According to UAE officials the heinous attacks did not deter their resolve to continue humanitarian works in Afghanistan. Interestingly the entire story had no mention of Pakistan but somehow the Indian media found terror links with Islamabad and made the “writing on the wall” clear to Islamabad, affecting Pak-UAE diplomatic ties, perhaps translating the Indian dream in writing. The story is breaking new grounds in failing standards of journalistic gate keeping in Pakistan; the Cyril circus, the insight into religious beliefs of a certain General nominee and very recently the criticism on Gen. Raheel Sharif. Somehow it is becoming easier to “leak” fabrications in the Pakistani media and there is zero accountability. It is also interesting to note that so far majority of these leaks clearly stemming from across the border appear in highly revered publications. These names are synonymous with the struggle that Pakistan has faced over the years and have always helped build her image. This though is not the first time in the past the role of media had largely been that of a provider of constructive feedback. Maybe it is emergence of new media that has threatened the viability of existing one that is forcing these archaic sources to seek alternative sources of income. It may have something to do with falling educational standards and an overall decline in the collective self esteem of the nation that is acting as an enabler of such vulnerabilities.
The event strangely coincides with the revision in Pakistan’s growth rate by the World Bank. Just a few days back news broke of revision of Pakistan’s growth rate this year to 5.5%, better than many economies. The medium alleviant of Pakistan’s infrastructural problems is CPEC which is a source of resolution for infrastructural and power problems. Any positive that may augment Pakistan’s global image is countered with news this time from across the border that lay nowhere near reality. The Public Relations and Foreign Offices of the country like all other offices of Pakistan require massive overhauling especially in the wake of current challenges, indicated by the relative inactivity of both in the wake of this onslaught by India.
This news story is also reminiscent of another current development on the global front. The intelligence agencies of the US have released a non-classified assessment implicating election of Donald trump towards the Putin regime’s active interference. Germans have similar fears regarding their elections this year. According to the story on this issue run by Newsweek, European nations and NATO are setting up centers to identify “fake news”, bolstering cyber defenses and tracking use of social media which target Russian-speaking communities, far-right groups, political parties, voters and decision-makers. It seems that our not so “friendly” neighbor has taken queue from the West and has actively indulged in this form of warfare as well. Although this time it is not small scale media outlets seeking cash flows. PM Modi’s re-election it seems hinges on Pakistan especially in the wake of currency crisis he has pushed his country into. The focus is to shift the gaze and so far after Burhan Wani and Kashmir’s intifada Indians have met with failure. Pakistan though is in desperate need of a wakeup call. There have to be a few things that need to be dealt with not with divided interests but as a nation, as this is the only way to ensure our survival. It is high time we devise an “information defense” strategy, something that solely aims at protecting Pakistan in the age of new media. The biggest need of the hour is to instill accountability in all media outlets that enables protection of our sovereignty. The enemy is busy and has developed mechanisms to keep the onslaught of attacks continuous.
