The Pulwama revelations: Modi’s fake narrative
The writer is working as a Research Fellow in Balochistan Think Tank Network, at BUITEMS Quetta
For seven decades, India’s most potent foreign policy tool has not been its military might but its fake narrative against Pakistan. India did everything possible to project a negative image of Pakistan in the world community. India’s foreign policy has remained Pakistan-centric, with Pakistan being viewed as India’s main enemy rather than China. This obsession is rooted in the philosophy of Chanakya Kautilya and is often referred to during election campaigns and political rallies. Furthermore, the Indian national media, particularly under the current BJP-RSS government, is known for airing fake and sensational news stories against Pakistan. India’s Hindu-nationalist rulers have used fake surgical strikes, false propaganda campaigns and baseless accusations against Pakistan to achieve their Hindutva-driven political agenda.
The recent revelations by the so-called ex-governor of the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, have once again upheld Pakistan’s persistent stance regarding the Pulwama attack of February 2019. Mr Malik in his interview with Wire reveals that the Pulwama attack was a result of India’s “incompetence” and that Modi wanted to blame Pakistan for the incident and gain electoral advantage therefrom. These disclosures demonstrate how the Indian government has repeatedly employed the notion of terrorism from Pakistan to promote its false, vicious narrative and Hindutva agenda to reap political benefits. Also, it highlights the Indian government’s anti-Pakistan and anti-Kashmir narrative. During the 2019 general election in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the Pulwama attack as a rallying point to garner support from voters. His repeated references to the attack helped him secure a larger majority in parliament, ultimately resulting in his return to power. Modi uses Hindutva card to justify aggressive policies towards Pakistan and extremism towards Muslims, which have significantly increased tensions between the two countries and have contributed to a dangerous level of escalation of hostilities time and again. Furthermore, the use of Hindutva politics to justify India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir has been a significant source of regional instability.
India has been engaged in a pattern of blame-game politics against Pakistan, and the Indian government has been responsible for conspiring to disrupt the negotiation process between the two nations. India is pursuing an aggressive strategic doctrine without considering the potential repercussions of such a belligerent military strategy. To advance its sinister objectives in Kashmir and promote its anti-Pakistan narrative, the Indian government has resorted to false-flag operations and made false claims over the years. The Indian government and its military leadership act out of sheer desperation as they have failed to crush the will of the Kashmiri people and impose their hegemonic designs on the region, especially Pakistan. Moreover, it is a futile attempt to conceal their continuous human rights abuses against Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the Muslim minority in India – something that has drawn UN concern repeatedly.
By deliberately inciting war hysteria against Pakistan, India’s Hindu-extremist rulers have been endangering peace in the region and risking a potential all-out war between the two nuclear-armed nations. The latest revelations suggest that the world community should be aware of India’s propaganda campaign against Pakistan, which is driven by selfish political motives and relies on lies and deceits. The allegations of so-called cross-border terrorism and attempts to malign Kashmiris’ struggle for freedom are also brought to light. India’s war-mongering policies against a nuclear-armed neighbour have put regional peace at high-risk. Pakistan has always shown restraint and responsibility to prevent escalation that could increase nuclear risks with far-reaching consequences for the region and the world. India needs to abandon this perilous strategy and work towards a more inclusive and peaceful vision of regional politics.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2023.
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