Spent an interesting day reading some Pakistani newspapers. I usually find the Dawn pretty good and even at times pretty unbiased at least to the extent that they report what Indian media might be saying. However a quick perusal of the letters in the Statesman Pakistan was instructive. Except for one letter that probably came in during Mumbai attack that asked India not to finger point but work to find out culprits every other letter from private citizens apparently was to the effect that it is a RAW/CIA/Mossad/Indian Armed forces operation to foist a war on peace loving Pakistan. Some even said that Marriott blast in Pakistan was bigger and Pakistan didn't blame India for it then why is India blaming Pakistan for Mumbai!!
While it is possible that the newspaper selected only those letters that it found following its own world view a likely scenario is that the propaganda is so strong that majority of Pakistanis actually believe it so. Its surprising how many of the letter writers believed that 9/11 was enacted by US to start a war against Afghanistan and 26/11 was an in house job to inflame a war with Pakistan.
And that is the scary part. One person mentions how Kasab was apparently arrested in Nepal and framed for the Mumbai carnage? And this when TVs were showing footage of him strolling with an assault weapon in CST and people battling them. Really remarkable frame up where you 'arrest' someone (apparently against his will) and give him plenty of assault weapons and leave him loose? And people believe this story is what scares me and should scare all Pakistanis too.
The propaganda is so effective that most people are unable to accept the truth and deal with it. That is as much a problem because it makes even those in Pakistani establishment who might seriously want to confront the terror menace in Pakistan and actually work with India to really uncover the truth hesitate in the face of hostile public opinion since the public seems unable to see the truth. So someone comments that West is with India because of some conspiracy and China - Pakistan's old friend - is not supporting Pakistan enough because of commercial reasons? No one seems to consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe all other countries are supporting India because it has a valid case atleast this time?
There is that old saying that - if every one is coming your way, You are in the wrong lane. Alas many of us forget that. So many letters blame US/Israel/India for the creation of Taleban, the troubles in FATA, the Marriott bombings etc. On one hand someone will comment India did Marriott and the same person will also mention how innocents Pakistanis are fighting Taleban which is a menace to Pakistan. Unfortunately they seem unable to connect Taleban to Marriott etc. Which might be a reason why so much of Pakistan is unstable. Years of brainwashing has ensured that an objective assessment of reality is no more possible.
Cleansing such a head in sand view I believe is the tougher task ahead of us.
Hindi Literature in Mumbai
9 years ago
3 comments:
I know a Pakistani here who believes that 9/11 is a conspiracy against Islamic world and the evidence he thinks he has is that no Jew died in the tragedy. This from somebody who is in Technology and has seen few countries and lives in West.
There are slightly better ones as well as the one who commented here http://myblog-addy.blogspot.com/2008/12/we-need-z-security-or-it-is-time-to-act.html
Interesting link there Chef. I read the comments and there is this talk of "50%" of arrested Taliban not being circumsized. Another commented pointed to this referring to Americans and the poster indeed found it hard to believe that. Indeed Americans (who usually are circumsized) or Indians will find it very hard to pass off as Talibans that too in FATA that probably does not speak Urdu as much as Pastun. and this in a blog about Pakistan and not really an anti India sort of blog. So there really is a problem of brain washing here.
Well while the letters to editor alas are not carried out in most Pakistani newspaper online editions Statesman is the only source. And post the admission by Pakistan, there is only 1 letter in it on this and that gentleman is still doubting the story.
But overall in the columns among the newspapers there is a toning down of rhetoric. Most commentators are now blaming the government for mishandling which in a way is encouraging. Still the blame is for not being in sync and not for lying which is what for most part the establishment there was doing. After all it was Geo TV which first got to Kasab's parents!
Unless these commentators starting putting out truth in black and white the suspicions in India about Pakistan will not rightly go. After all most people I know here consider Pakistan especially the army guilty in this and they have a lot to gain even if Pakistan has everything to loose in this. Pakistani civil society and civilian government most Indian will find it easy to believe, was not complicit in this crime. But who will explain that to the Pakistani public if its own intellectuals won't?
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