Indian media fumes as all eyes on Pakistan for world peace

KARACHI:

As the 'Islamabad Talks' between the United States and Iran began on Saturday, the world watched closely except for some “evil eyes” across the border still clinging to propaganda over nuance.

Former United States diplomat Jeffery Gunter did not hold back when an Indian anchor pressed him on whether US Vice President JD Vance would be safe in Pakistan.

Giving them what can only be described as a televised reality check, Gunter said, “I feel like the schoolteacher about to discipline each and every one of you.”

He did not stop there.

“This is about lives. This is about livelihood. This is about expensive gasoline for everyday Indians, everyday Americans,” he said during a live broadcast on Times Now, before calling out the drama unfolding in front of him.

Turning a serious geopolitical moment into a Pakistan versus India shouting match, he added, was “actually quite embarrassing” and “shameful”.

You could almost hear the collective detention bell ring.

Both appear unsettled by the direction things are taking. Israel launched strikes in Lebanon almost immediately after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke of a ceasefire, while across the border, Indian media slipped into overdrive, spinning narratives before facts had time to land.

Prime-time debates on leading Indian news channels, including Aaj Tak, Republic TV, and Times Now, have expressed surprise and concern over Pakistan’s emerging role as a diplomatic bridge between the Middle East and the West, noting that it challenges the long-held perception of Pakistan’s international isolation.

Read: World leaders praise Pakistan after US‑Iran ceasefire

But this ceasefire is beyond this. If the conflict spirals, the fallout will not politely stay confined to one region. It will travel to South Asia, to Europe, and well beyond, bringing energy shocks, rising inflation, disrupted trade, and humanitarian crises, the kind of domino effect no one really signs up for. In moments like this, urgency is expected, not theatre.

Yet instead of restraint, what we saw was performance, where urgency was the need of the hour, but parts of the Indian media chose spectacle instead.

Take one rather cinematic episode. A live broadcast of India Today confidently claimed, citing “Israeli sources”, that Vance would not even make it to Pakistan. According to this version of events, his plane might turn around mid-air and head back to the US.

A bold claim. A dramatic one. Also, completely wrong. Vance landed in Pakistan. Not diverted. Not missing. Landed. And, awkwardly for the scriptwriters, welcomed.

The commentary, however, did not lose momentum. In the same broadcast, there were claims that no one wanted to give Pakistan any credit. Then came the more imaginative additions, with prayers allegedly being offered for the plane to disappear before arrival, as one television anchor claimed:

“Currently, there are prayers happening in Padmanabhaswamy Temple, where Prime Minister Modi has given the local pundits 3000 rupees each to start praying that the plane of JD Vance disappears before reaching Pakistan.” There were also guarantees that it would “never reach Pakistan”.

At that point, it felt less like news and more like a thriller that forgot to fix the ending.

Pakistan has emerged as the epicentre of global peace talks between Tehran and Washington. Not a minor development, but a real diplomatic moment that places Islamabad in the role of a bridge between East and West, while other countries largely watched as spectators with limited effort or engagement.

Read More: Peace, memes, repeat: Pakistan steals spotlight online after brokering US-Iran ceasefire

The fragile agreement follows weeks of intense conflict and is based on a two-week pause in hostilities aimed at halting major strikes and reopening strategic routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, even as key disagreements remain unresolved.

At the centre of the arrangement is a 10-point Iranian proposal described by the US as a workable basis for negotiations, covering non-aggression commitments, operations of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief, and broader cessation of hostilities, which is expected to guide talks in Islamabad toward a more durable settlement.

Naturally, that has not gone down well in certain circles. As soon as the ceasefire was announced, parts of the Indian media appeared to switch on their usual propaganda machine, with rumours quickly circulating that Iran had refused to participate altogether.

Across social media, particularly in Indian and Israeli spaces, the reaction has ranged from dismissive to outright mocking.

“Indian media chagrin on Pakistan hosting the talks was a sad spectacle. Their wanting it to fail is even more so. Grow up, India,” said Javed Hassan, a Pakistani economist and public policy expert, commenting on the reaction of sections of the Indian media to the developments in Islamabad.

Even a Swedish-Indian political scientist and professor at Uppsala University, Ashok Swain, called the Indian media a “joke”.

Some media outlets went rogue while others have been less subtle, recycling familiar talking points with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for breaking news.

And yet, the numbers tell a different story for Pakistan. More than 40 international media outlets have applied for visas to cover the talks in Islamabad. At least 20 journalists have already been cleared. Delegations are arriving. The world, it seems, is paying attention even if some would rather pretend it is not.

Then there is Arnab Goswami, an Indian television news anchor and journalist, who dismissed the entire development and ceasefire as a “running joke”, questioning how Pakistan could possibly mediate between the US and Iran.

It is a familiar tone, confident, dismissive, slightly louder than necessary. But it does not exist in isolation.

This kind of coverage reflects a broader narrative shaped under Modi, where isolating Pakistan internationally has been a consistent policy direction. Over the years, India has repeatedly labelled Pakistan a “terror factory” and the “pre-eminent export factory for terror” on global platforms.

Former Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj once summed it up rather bluntly at the United Nations, saying India produces scholars, doctors and engineers, while Pakistan produces “terrorists”.

It is rhetoric that fits neatly into what is often described as the Doval Doctrine, associated with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The idea is simple enough. Take a more assertive stance. Counter threats beyond borders. Use diplomacy, intelligence and pressure in equal measure. And, crucially, keep Pakistan and its terrorism framed as the central problem.

Over time, that narrative has helped India build alignment with Western partners and shape global perception. Or at least, attempt to.

A 2020 investigation by EU DisinfoLab exposed a 15-year global disinformation network dubbed “Indian Chronicles”, allegedly designed to shape international perceptions against Pakistan through influence operations targeting institutions such as the UN Human Rights Council and the European Parliament.

The report claimed the network involved at least 750 fake media outlets operating across nearly 100 countries, along with more than 265 pro-Indian websites identified in earlier findings and a wider ecosystem spanning over 500 websites used for amplification. It also alleged the use of at least 10 UN-accredited NGOs and several defunct or impersonated organisations, including cases where identities of deceased individuals were reportedly reused to lend credibility.

According to the investigators, the operation was one of the most complex they had seen, aimed at manufacturing a sustained narrative against Pakistan on global platforms and creating an illusion of broad international consensus.

It was, in many ways, information warfare dressed up as consensus.

Also Read: US, India urge Pakistan for 'irreversible action' against terror

Which brings us back to the present moment.

A senior leader of the Indian National Congress, Shashi Tharoor on NDTV, took a neutral, measured stance, saying in essence, “not everything is zero-sum”, and cautioning against turning every regional development into a competitive narrative between states.

He noted that if Pakistan were being accused of actions that undermine India’s security, the equation would be different, but when its role intersects with a peace process that broadly serves regional stability, it should be assessed with pragmatism rather than reflexive hostility.

He further argued that Pakistan’s involvement should not be dismissed outright, stressing that geography and regional realities give Islamabad a direct stake in preventing escalation, especially given its proximity to Iran and the broader risks of regional spillover.

“We should be celebrating” any genuine steps toward de-escalation, he implied, pointing out that stability would ultimately serve shared interests, including energy security and economic stability.

For all the noise, the exaggerations and the occasional prophecy about disappearing planes, something real is happening in Islamabad. Pakistan is not just part of the conversation. It is helping shape it. None of this means the path ahead is smooth.

The next couple of days will be crucial in determining the course of history, but whatever unfolds or the Indian media says, Pakistan will remain in the frame as a successful mediator of the Iran-US ceasefire.