A Pakistani media delegation recently visited Mumbai and asked for an end to the ‘language of hate’ used by the media on both sides of the border. If the media in Pakistan and India indeed follows through with this policy, it would go a long way in changing perceptions amongst the people about each other’s countries. At a time when both the governments are trying to liberalise the visa regimes and are opening trade, it is good to see that the media is also playing its part in facilitating the peace process. Using the right discourse, recontextualising the issues and creating awareness through campaigns, joint productions and people-to-people contact, is making it possible to spread the message of peace and tolerance. While the media devises a strategy to stop using the language of hate, our curriculum needs to change as well. The kind of abhorrent language used to describe India and its people in our textbooks must be reformed. Distortion of historical facts is something we can do without. Our children should be taught the truth.
Pakistan’s obsession with India is tearing apart the basic fabric of the former’s society, leading to a self-destructive phase. The enmity between the two neighbours still battling demons from their past, is hurting the people of both nations. Both countries are wasting resources in their arms race at the cost of their impoverished millions. It would not be wrong to say that with the exception of the right wing media and some hawkish elements, most people in the region would like to see a normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan. The people of both countries ought to be allowed to live in peace.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2012.
COMMENTS (11)
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@Dr V. C. Bhutani: but I like those comments on TOI, they ae so lively. you can enjoy till you cannot take it an more.
"A Pakistani media delegation recently visited Mumbai and asked for an end to the ‘language of hate’ used by the media on both sides of the border"
Am I the one find this funny ? Pak Advising India media how to run their media.!
Pakistan should necessarily review its school and college curriculam and remove objectionable contents pertaining to hindu community. I intend to file a public interest litigation(PIL) in Supreme Court of India that till such time this serious discrimination inviting hatred against the majority community of India is not addressed, Indian PM should not visit Pakistan.
The editorial “Language of hate” has not come a moment too soon. I have been struck by numerous comments in The Times of India comments columns by people writing from Pakistan. Their language has often been downright abusive, with expletives freely used and often degenerating into obscenity. Some Indian comments then write to square the account, as it were. Such writing serves no useful purpose, except giving people an opportunity to let off steam. I have been pleading, without success, with the editors of The Times of India not to publish such comments. The editorial could go a long way in persuading reasonable people on both sides of the border to think and speak and write with sobriety and decency, which has not always been the case heretofore. Let us hope things may change. The Express Tribune does not always publish my comments. I do not feel happy about this, although I am a respecter of editorial privilege. I hope editors may like to publish this one. To be concluded.
somehow equating India and Pakistan on this issue by itself shows how honest pakistanis are.
India-hating has been the sole cause of all misfortunes Pakistan has suffered including the loss of East Pakistan. With a friendly India, the political confrontation between the Awami League and the GOP could not have blown into a liberation war.
India and Pakistan are siblings of a same mother. Both have wasted a lot of time, money and energy to put each other down. It is time for both of these countries to solve their differences peacefully so people of on both sides of the line can have better and peaceful life. After all if Europe, America and Russia can have better relationships with Germany after two World wars and solved their differences peacefully than it is not impossible for India and Pakistan to become friends again as we share the same culture and values.
The language of hate may prevail on both sides but there are some qualitative differences: 1) In india, there is no equivalent of demonisation of Hindu Baniya 2) If India says Pakistan attacked it in 1965, it is the truth. When Pakistan says the same thing it is deliberate lies. 3) When India says that thousands of jihadis were pushed into India by Pakistan in 1990s, it is true - even though this was denied at the time. When Pakistan says that India is stealing its water, there is no factual basis for that statement. 4) When India says Pakistan stabbed it in the back in 1999 after a peace process was started with Vajpayee there is some truth in that when Pakistan claims that TTP are Indian agents, there is no fact in that. 5) When India says that 26/11 attackers were Pakistanis as were the people who attacked Indian parliament in 2001, there is a fact behind that. When Pakistan says thatvarious suicide bombers were uncircumcised Indians, there is no truth to that.
So while the language maybe inflammatory on both sides, on India's side it is based on repeated unprovoked attacks by Pakistani establishment and/or its assets. On Pakistan's side it is based on deliberate lies spread by the Pakistani establishment that Pakistani media has in the past trustingly passed on to its viewers/readers.
@Saad: India has always maintained the spirit of peace, in spite of Pakistan instigated wars and terror attacks. A positive step will be when Pakistan actually does something about the abhorrent content it teaches school children via its textbooks. Until then this talk in Pakistani media is just hot air.
I have been educated from pre-school to post graduation. But I never once did come across any negative caricature of Pakistan in any textbook. Credit to Indian Education that History books focus on History and nothing else. Even the wars with Pakistan are given just a couple of paragraphs and the accounts are by and large neutral; never in gloating tones. Focus is on Global history and achievements of advanced countries too.
Learning of the despicable distortion of history and demonisation of India and it's people in Pakistani textbooks - it is clear that the ball is in Pakistani court.