Indian media madness

Unable to confront Pakistan's military prowess, and keeping fingers crossed as Islamabad mulls its own timing for lawful retaliation, India has launched a frenzied media campaign to entertain its citizens.

The entire digital space of the world's largest democracy and an emerging economic power is relying on sensation and falsehood. From fire-spitting anchors to pseudo-intellectual analysts as well as keyboard warriors, both on national and social media, the sole propaganda is that 'Pakistan has been defeated', and 'war has been won'.

As if comedy clicks from Bollywood, some of the top-trending 'X' and social media posts say: "INS Vikrant has destroyed Karachi Port; rift in army leadership; forces enter Lahore, Sialkot and other cities of Punjab; capture of a Pakistani pilot; etc, etc." But the ground reality is that there is nothing to substantiate the claim, as there is no electronic signature to it.

This media campaign has come close on the heels of an embarrassing casualty list featuring six Indian aircraft, a brigade headquarter and several check-posts along LoC, and more than 77 Israeli Harop drones. Perhaps, Delhi wants to test the resilience of the Pakistani nation and is, thus, keeping its media space busy with the apt intention of playing to the gallery in terms of chauvinism. In fact, the ploy to gag the international media by churning out breathless propaganda is amusing for Pakistanis.

As this 'entertainment' episode takes a break with the dawn of reality, it's time for the world community to call a spade a spade, and make India realise that it is endangering global security. The utterance from US Vice President JD Vance describing the conflict as "fundamentally none of our business" is quite unfortunate, and negates leadership that is desired from the sole superpower.

Delhi has gone over the brink in defaming Pakistan and inflicting water terrorism on it, but has not been able to come up with a scratch on her territorial integrity, as its war machines and fighter jets are in a quandary. Time to enter into dialogue to end this madness.