The writer is a consulting editor with The Statesman and writes widely for several newspapers in India
In the midst of this, the poor Pakistani guests face the worst of it and make viewers wonder why they agree to be on the programmes over and over again. They are verbally assaulted, wringed, and hung out to dry as pale shadows of their former selves. They are made to accept every wrongdoing of their government, held responsible for every terror attack and asked repeatedly, at times, to apologise for all that has gone wrong in India-Pakistan relations since 1947, terrorism, of course, being at the forefront. Some are reduced to stuttering heaps, others give vent to anger that usually provokes the anchor to cross all levels of journalistic ethics, and still others try to make some sense of the nonsense even as their faces express their helplessness at the futility of it all. Besides, the manner of seating — senior experts placed uncomfortably on a couch in poor light — makes them appear even more like lambs on the slaughtering slab with the knife in the anchor’s hand.
A few weeks ago, when news that an Indian jawan had been beheaded at the Line of Control, broke, television anchors had a field day. Throwing sobriety to the wind, they were all out there advocating war and revenge in different ways. More recently, when a terror attack killed five paramilitary personnel in Kashmir, the news worthies were back insisting on holding every individual of Pakistan responsible without making the necessary distinction between the government, the army and its agencies, and the people, of whom a large section denounces terrorism, insists on a change in policies and has been struggling for peace and harmony for decades now. There is a strong peace constituency in Pakistan that does not figure on Indian television (probably the reverse is true as well) just as the “peaceniks” of India are rarely brought on television to advocate the need for restraint. In fact, these prime time India-Pakistan news discussions are hinged on guests taking extreme positions, with anchors taking special care to ensure that those advocating peace in the two countries are not brought in to dampen the hate-filled atmosphere.
In fact, the two governments have moved far ahead of their respective television stars, as there are efforts now to continue peace talks regardless of idiot box stridency. After the beheading of the Indian soldier, New Delhi initially tried to maintain restraint but when television theatrics continued, the government decided to fall in line and make anti-peace noises to placate the media. Despite this, however, trade and business is continuing, officials are meeting to iron out vexed issues, and students, academics, journalists and others are crossing the border on a constant basis. In fact, after the beheading that drove the media down the bend, the armies of both countries immediately established contact and used the hotlines to ease the tensions. The ceasefire, significantly, has held since then but no one is reporting this.
It is time then, despite the freedom that the media must have, for news anchors to be made part of a system of checks and balances. This can come through high-level regular briefings where anchors are introduced to the many dimensions of a complex relationship and are made aware of the responsibilities that have to be attached to any reporting on India-Pakistan relations. Reporting cannot be without responsibility, particularly when instead of preaching peace, journalists today believe that advertisements come from waging war.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2013.
COMMENTS (53)
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what most Indians forget to realise is that India is bigger threat to Pakistan, than the other way around. After all, it was the Indians that supported the separatist movement in east Pakistan
@Rakib: Sorry but Pakistani parliament passing a resolution in support of an Indian convicted of trying to bomb the Indian parliament is not a minor provocation as you seem to think it is. From what I see, one of the people who challenged you herself had an Urdu screen name and in fact you accused her of being an Uncle Tom. So the notion that it is Hinduttva supporters who found your post offensive is simply not true. In fact you had come out quite strongly against the Ajmer Sharif Dargah chief also branding him as an apologist though you never really explained what negative consequences he would have suffered if he simply had kept quiet. You are the one who passes sweeping judgment on people but have a problem when people judge you based on your posts (not your screen-name).
The notion that Indian Parliament should overlook such provocation and if it does not then it is a weak body for having been influenced by media is at best naive. The media reflects the people's sentiments and the parliament is supposed to respond to the voice of the people in a democracy.
ET, why did you not publish my comment for Razi's education that trusting and respecting India's leading journalists, no matter how imperfect, over Pakistan's generals, of whom Razi is a great admirer, does not need hyper nationalism, but simple common sense?
@Razi:
The jingoists world over are the same. So predictable that if a provocateur sets his mind to be mischievous he can easily rile them up & make them vulnerable. Imagine then how difficult it is for leaders of India-Pakistan to carry on a meaningful & sustained dialogue for a length of time. Anybody can put a spanner in the works with a single diabolical act that may sabotage months & years of hard work put in by both sides in delicate negotiations. You will also notice how easily the Right-of-Centre ideology influences Indians: mere opinions expressed on Internet criticising India & appreciating Pakistan by one who has an Urdu screen-name is enough & even an anonymous person is accused of being an Ummah-lover (as if it's a crime in itself) & Hindutva men & woman come down on him like a tonne of bricks! Islamists of the extreme Right, who would do something similar to a Muslim who differs from them, are their soul-mates! And they boast of the tolerance of secular Indians & how happy Muslims are in Gujarat! Imagine what kind of havoc can be wrought at macro level! In spite of such pernicious ideology of Hindutva the country merrily marches along. That's the miracle that India is.
@Another North Indian
You would "question the sanity and Indianness of any Indian..." because you have been raised on an unhealthy diet of hyper nationalism and a warped patriotism that makes you see nothing beyond "my country, right or wrong". Expecting anything more is an exercise in futility.
Arnab Goswami may not be everybody's idea of an ideal TV journalist but I would seriously question the sanity and Indianness of any Indian who would trust and respect shahzad Chowdhry's views more than Arnab's on Indo-Pak matters.
@Rakib .. Perhaps you do not get it, or you refuse to not answer the points raised by Rehmat. Many of us do not consider Arnab Goswami or his likes as brilliant journalist or great anchor. It is about a country who keeps back stabbing us and the Indian Govt response to all the provocation is welcoming PM of Pak at Ajmer Sharif. Thats the point, Period.
Even our over top media at no point suggested we should attack Pakistan in of these debates. So what author is saying and you are supporting is just not correct.
@Rakib: So if I understand you correctly, you are loyal to Pakistan instead of India because Arnab is annoying? Interesting logic.
These flag-waving fellows should be made to spend an entire day listening in person to Sagarika Ghosh of IBN or watching closely Kanwal the fellow from Headline Today whose body-language resembles a patient of St.Vitus dance, before inflicting Arnab Goswami on them. A typical Goswami piece is as follows...
guest : ”Its been an amazing year for me. I have been playing well and have scored 5 centuries.”
Arnab: “So, you are saying you scored 5 centuries ?”
guest: “Yes, that’s what I said”
Arnab: “Yes, you are very good at debating, but aren’t you saying that you were happy that you got those centuries rather than being happy because the team won?”
guest: !?!
@Rakib: The hyperventlating English media in India is not the question. If the author or you had referred to that, I would not have said what I did. The issue is the constant need to overlook Pakistani perfidy that the author advocates and you support. Nor is it the case that this is the first time that you supported Pakistan when most Indians were outraged by its behavior.
If someone does not support unilateral peace gestures to Pakistan, it does not mean they support war. No one in India supports war but there is a time and place when every loyal Indian needs to show where they stand - especially when the parliament of Pakistan goes so far as to pass a resolution supporting a convicted terrorist who tried to attack the Parliament.
I have also seen posts from you where you strongly advocate secularism in India while supporting the oppression of minorities in Pakistan under the name of Islamism. These things are difficult for me to stomach.
@Another North Indian I wish you joy with your choice of news sources. They've finally found an admirer!! You should have a great time when they cover topics other than Pakistan.
nice piece and an eye opener for indian media. ..who after any bomb blast I the country make stories and accused a particular community even before the intelligence agencies have a look at the terror sites. ..
Rakib, that is patently disgraceful. You should be ashamed of yourselves for using that sort of language.
When you use hysterically harsh words against the Indian media and have nothing to show for your 'intelligent criticism' of Pakistan, when you are concerned about the discomfort of some Pakistanis about whom few Indians have heard and about whom fewer Indians care, and when you practically abuse Indian journalists in your rage against them, it is fair to ask if your loyalties like with India or with Ummah. Your response to that suggestion does nothing reassure that anyone that the sugggestion is baseless.
muslim speakers are invited to speak against pak speakers..!! that's so easy to understand madam beacoz they have fluency in urdu...why are you questioning their presence? should they just sit back and not respond to the pakistani assault?
@Another North Indian: I think the only way you will understand the point regarding quality of Indian news channels is if you watch coverage of a topic that does not involve Pakistan. Your fixation is with Pakistan, mine is with quality of reporting.
@Lala Gee: you are wrong in saying that India caused subversion in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakisatn government's action caused millions of then East Pakistanis (current Bangladeshis) to flee to India some of whom still live there because of better job situation there. India then sent troops to help Shaikh Mujibur Rehaman who became President of Bangladesh. India sent troops to Sri Lanka at the invitation of Sri Lanka's then President. Like Paksitan no Indian has been accused of terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. India has a lot on its plate and has no time to engage in destabilisation of its neighbours. Seema Mustafa seems to forget or deliberately ignores the facts that Pakistan has been accused not by India alone of training terrorists. This week in England a man arrested for a plot to bomb told the court that he was trained in Pakistan. Indian journalists are what Mustafa accuses them to be but they are given a chance to bag Pakistan by Pakistan Government's provocative behaviour. Also Pakistan participants on Indian TV news can decline to be there.
@PiS: Her parents did a blunder by not migrating to the holiest nation on earth and we gave her equal rights to abuse
@Rehmat:
I have dealt with your personal attack on my loyalty but it matters not. It would not be proper for me to give a direct link here but you could try googling for a ToI blog named "The Real Truth" & look up an article by Prashant Panday dated 13th March 2013 captioned "Italian Marines issue shows why English news channels are becoming irrelevant…." Excepts:- Quote: A few days back, the Pakistanis apparently “humiliated” “us Indians” (again) by chopping off the head of one of our soldiers. My god. Does Pakistan have anything that they can humiliate us with? Then a few months back, when Kasab was hanged, it was “what about Guru?”. Later when Guru was hanged, it wasn’t “Good job done”, but “What was the rush? Was it to divert attention from the other crises?”. And all throughout, allegations, and sometimes mere hints of allegations are enough to develop a full one hour (or more in one channel’s case) prime time show. It’s a lot of mischief really, with scant regard for ever basic journalistic ethics. Remember “who is that family named in Agusta Westland?”. If there is some evidence, then please put it out. Else don’t give such a bad name to journalism.:Unquote. Do you think Panday loves Pakistan, Ummah & Italy more than India?
@Rakib: Personal attack is not an argument. You are articulate enough, so I must assume that failure to rebut the points I made is because you have none to make.
@Rehmat:
It is unfortunate that both you and Ms. Mustafa are more loyal to the ummah than the country where you live.
Jolly good but please spare me, Uncle Tom!
@varuag: A thoughtful comment that I completely agree with.
@Rakib: There maybe over the top reporting in Indian media. People who disagree with Ms. Mustafa are not disagreeing with that. The disagreement is that people are not influenced by media aggression but rather by actual repeated Pakistani perfidy starting from 26/11. The government did not fold due to media pressure but in response to people's anger. You and Ms. Mustafa may think nothing about Rehman Malik with a terror attack a week in his country asking India to worry about Shah Rukh Khan's security but most Indians are disgusted. You both may think nothing of their most recent parliament resolution supporting a convicted terrorist but again most Indians are disgusted. The deliberate lies about India stealing Pakistan water, the ability of JeM and LeT to rais funds openly though they are officially banned, the formation and active media coverage and political backing for DPC which has characters like Hafeez Saeed are not actions of peace. The sad part is that the government had to be pushed to take a stand. Any self respecting government would have taken that stand because it was the right thing to do not because the people pushed them to do so.
I have also not seen the term 'war' being used on Indian TV. If it is, it is only to say that war is not an option. There are plenty of Pakistani TV programs though that discuss possibility of war with India while preening about their 'bums'.
Stopping unilateral peace offerings is warranted not due to Indian media but Pakistan leadership actions. It is unfortunate that both you and Ms. Mustafa are more loyal to the ummah than the country where you live.
Some critics of the aesthetic sense of the Indian media have spoken. Some don't like corporate bossses. Perhas they would like, as the author seems to hint, government owned media, or prefer religious control. Others have words against the background music, or the horns on Pakistanis, or the banshees they hear. Some are terribly impressed with gentlemen for whom most Indians couldn't care less - shahzad Chowdhry and zafar hilaly, - and would prefer them to be interviewed in India with respect by yet to be named Indian journalists.
All very good, gentlemen. We also know you live in India. What we don't see from any of these people is fulfiling the promise of criticising Pakistan 'roundly and intelligently', if you think Pakistan deserves such criticism.
If you don't step up to the plate and offer a better criticism of Pakistan than is offered by Indian media, then all your temper tantrums can best be described in words Rakib choses to use for Indian media. Besides, your protestations of being Indians will remain hollow.
Trying to make sense of the English language TV news channels in India is a foolish exercise. No matter what the subject, if you detect even a very minimum of research (let alone scholarship), you are hallucinating. What you see is not even honest emotion, no matter how ill-conceived. It is far coarser - it is scavenging, simply to show activity to their corporate overlords. So take my tip - get your news and views on the internet from a mix of international news agencies. They are far from perfect but, at least, they are not buffoons. And yes, I am an Indian, I do own a TV, and I do take my own advice!
@Author: Once in a way I come across an article where I wish I was its author instead of being a reader. This is one such. There is not a word with which I disagree.To name names, it is amazing to watch men like Zafar Hilaly and Shahzad Chaudhry (neither were really inimical to India) allowing themselves to be pilloried by an ill mannered upstart Goswami & a Muslim "expert" Raza of Times Now or some others by spit-spraying uncouth Sardesai of IBN.. Indian Entertainment Media (TV News Channels) has developed a vested interest in strife & war-like posturing. High drama sells. The crude background music, the words flashing on screen like strobes, matter. Doomsday talk is important. Horns & tail for Pakistanis are a must. And Pakistan does provide plenty elements of morbid drama with sickening regularity. Pakistan needs to be criticised roundly & intelligently; but all that Indian news channels do is to scream like banshees & add a Bollywoodian touch to the drama. Have some cinema trained producer/editor/harmonium player, some hysterical anchor who should know how to wave his hands about & the day's work is done, TRPs look healthy & advertisers more happy. There is probably only one more horrendously grotesque thingy other than Indian News channel: the Pakistani one.
Indians and their obsession with Pakistan. Just live and let live ....
Arnab Goswami calls a spade a spade..
Well there are things in this article is totally baseless,just most of it happens only in Pak media. Just for an record and statistics check the tv shows for 3 months on both sides you find the answer.Wellwe don't have people like Zaid Hamid comming on Pak media and calling for gazwa e hind. Most of Pakistan media uses india least in a show.Pakistan media has come to a point that every thing it shows about india should be bad.
Seema Mustafa may be living in India but she certainly does not feel the pain of India. She feels that the Indian Media should not report anything to do with terrorism because it is sponsored by Pakistanis. And if they do it is mere provocation. If she had even the smallest sensitivity she would have felt the pain that most Indians felt when our soldiers were beheaded and media was only reporting truth when they expressed widespread revulsion across the country. If she wants to be taken seriously she would do well to stop placing India and Pakistan on an equal keel.
There article has fallen through the crevice of logic, especially in its prescription. News anchors in India, as in most nations, are guided by the TRPs whether one likes it or not. So there are the usual theatrics associated with hyper ventilating news anchors. The fact is that they treat every subject on record in the same way. Have you ever seen other issues discussed, where equally shambolic debates take place ? Arnab (when I used to watch TN) used to call a certain Varavara Rao to present the Maoist view and it was distressing to say the least. It was because Varavara Rao on the TV, was one of the most inarticulate persons I have ever come across. On complicated debates like GM crops, I once saw an old enfeebled retired vice chancellor being constantly out-shouted rather than out-reasoned. To the informed viewers such programs are not to formulate opinions but rather judge the anchors and the panel. To those who use it to formulate opinions, fact is, an hour can't make one understand most issues holistically. All anchors know which side the bread is buttered when it comes to topics like the one the author has touched on. There is no place for nuance on the telly, be it politics or anything else and this is not specific to any nation.
What I find alarming is the last paragraph. Are you seriously suggesting regulation along with spoon feeding ? And you also seem to suggest as if the news anchors are not aware of the complexities of the issues they deal with. I may agree or disagree with the English news anchors of India, but to call them ill-informed is outrageous. As if certain people are the paragons of knowledge and this includes the government of all institutions. We don't want state dictation and for those that are interested, there is already LSTV and RSTV alongwith good old DD. I agree that sensationalism is an issue and has to be dealt with but your Orwellian solution will surely worsen the situation. As a member of the fourth estate you seem to have forgotten the evolution of press in India and its long fight against censorship or dictation by the state apparatus. The media is a wild beast, we don't want it caged and spouting state's policies............
I believe we are missing essential point that Pakistan has lost control of its client Jihadi elements who have turned on the Pak state itself.If Pakistan cannot control these elements within its own borders beheading Pakistani soldiers, how can it prevent these elements spilling across the border into India? Pakistani state itself is split into two disparate groups who are in war with each other . One which is sympathetic to Jihadi elements and another minority group which is against them . How can India solve Pakistani problem by projection of its power?
Ms. Mustafa is misleading herself and her Pakistani readers here.
Pakistani beheading of an Indian soldier or Pakistani terrorist attacks on Indian civilians/soldiers on Indian territory will never be accepted by Indians as 'normalcy' or 'peace efforts'.
The Indian media has nothing to do with this.
@PiS: Sir, you will be hard pressed to find any support for war i India - as in India stating a war. What has happened however is that ongoing hypocrisy and double standards by Pakistan and failure to honor its commitments has significantly reduced the constituency for peace. Most Indians would just like their army to guard the border with Pakistan and prevent infiltration. IT is clear to most but the pie in the sky people like this author that Pakistan army does not want peace and will keep the cauldron boiling. More than likely it is because they realize t hat Pakistan has serious fiscal problems and the next government will have o go in for major expenditure cuts. It wants to protect its budget.
Irresponsible statements from people like Rehman Malik and most recently your parliament supporting a convicted terrorist do not do anything to help the peace constituency.
Depicts the true picture ...very sensible article ... very much need of an hour ..
@Jim: Seema Mustafa lives in Calcuta. It cannot be that she has no idea of how Indians feel. The most charitable thing that I can think about her is taht she is one of those diminishing breed of dreamers like Mani Shankar Iyer who simply CANNOT see what is staring everyone in the face.
@anil You do realize that the author is Indian? :)
I don't understand why there are so many Indian hawks on ET? The peaceniks on both sides of the border are probably more interested in making a difference on ground instead of being bitter about each other all the time like some of commentators here.
@Seema Mustafa
For you and for country , flesh and blood are nothing and it's your daily affair and you might have been passive to these . Sorry if I am wrong , but we see and realise it from outside . For us 160 people are too much . We won't mind when we lose thousands in the battle , for instance Kargil intrusion . But when you behead someone inhumanely , then Indians won't remain calm . If India had beheaded your 70k soldiers , then what would have your reactions ? When your country consistently says it doesn't support terrorists , then where these terrorists come from , China ? Arms and ammunition don't grow in trees . So we won't remain calm when cowardly disguised jihad kills our police men .And these are the signs of responsible countries . Being Indians and media professionals , they present the very truth with a mix of nationalism.If you have allergies to Indian media , then stop watching those .These media give coverage to every incident in that manner , but they always say the truth .And be ready for assertive India in future, because we won't bear such pin pricking again and again and won't let our politicians sleep tight.
@Lala Gee: " ... I can assure that you will see more assertive response from Pakistan in the coming days, in a language India understand better. ... "
Russian ?
Yes we have seen Pakistan's assertive response in 1971 and in Kargil and hopefully you have seen too.
@Author, I thought the title was mainly Indo-Pak relations? You dealing with the bias and methods of Indian media. All medias, Eastern and Western have their way of doing things. They are motivated by viewership and ratings. Their should be standards but when the issues are so emotional, passions rise. It is wrong but currently, nationalism on either side and elsewhere in the world, trumps common sense, rationality and decency of discussion.
All adversaries can adopt different approaches and be selective in their views. The main good of the nations is achieved when nations do not create disputes when none exists, and resolve disputes when there are genuine disputes. India is guilty of not making investing enough energy into resolving its existing disputes with Pakistan but equally, Pakistan is guilty of creating and inventing disputes. Water disputes for example is purely a creation of Pakistan state where as Kashmir should have been solved in 1948. gp65 is absolutely right in citing those examples where a state pretends to move forward then ensure the exact opposite happens. Hopefully, one day we will be discussing open borders, having friends on either side of the border and wishing each other a genuine well.
@Epitome: You are well meaning. I agree that actions of an individual in any country cannot be used to characterize all people from that country. Having said that your country had a policy of using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. It denied that policy but it now admits that it followed that policy for 15 years. Even with 26/11 if it was individuals that did it, that would not reflect on Pakistan as a country but the reality is that one of the planners Daood Gilani has testified on oath in US that he was working with LeT. Likewise Abu Jundal, an Indian was used to train the terrorists in speaking Hindi , so Pakistan could pretend the terrorists were Indiam He was given a PAkistani passport and visa and sent to Saudi Arabia and has now been sent by Saudi Arabia o India and has made many confessions. Despite all this there is o actions against planners of 26/11. Organizations like LeT and JeM that Pakistan has banned openly raise funds in Pakistan. Most recently Pakistan parliament passed a resolution in favour of a terrorist who has been convicted of trying to bomb India's parliament while in session. After all these direct and indirect actions to support terror at state level, what do you expect Indians to feel? Just as you resent US government for its drones, we resent Pakistani army/IS for its ongoing support of terrorism against India.
SO Ma'm you think that a foreign parliament making comments about a terrorist duly convicted and hanged is conducive to peace?
Pakistan may have talked peace but none of its actions matched. Neither has it made any attemot to get 26/11 planners convicted, banned anti-India terror organizations continue to raise funds openly, nor has it followed through on its promise of MFN when it was an agreed quid pro quo for India lifting its objection to EU trade benefits for Pakistan, they deliberately continued to spread falsehood that India was stealing water when India has always honoured IWT even during war, their home minister made comments about the saetyof Indian citizen (Shah Rukh) when Shah Rukh has never claimed to be unsafe but 1000s of Shias are being killed in his own country and the list goes on. The LOC violation is one among a series of provocations. Pakistan's actions did not match its words of peace. India cannot just go by their words.
So if India does not pursue peace, does it mean it should do war mongering? Absolutely not. War does not benefit anyone. IT just means talk but do not negotiate. Talk is just to ensure prevention of escalation just like USSR and US continued to talk during the cold war.
Sorry apologists like you have very little sympathy.
@Epitome, Who said that every Pakistani is a terrorist? I didn't. We do know that every Pakistani is not a terrorist. Only a fool could suggest something like that. The problem lies with the cross-border terrorism sponsored by the state of Pakistan, for instance 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Until and unless that is stopped by Pakistan, as Manmohan Singh said, "There cannot be business as usual with Pakistan." It's just a pragmatic point of view. Trust me this Aman Ki Asha thing is a futile exercise. We should just keep each other at an arm's length and concentrate on the welfare of our own people first. True we cannot choose our neighbors and we can definitely choose the ways of dealing with them. It's time Indian govt devised a Pakistan specific foreign policy. And don't blame media for everything. Remember media is just a mirror of the society. It's time to call a spade a spade rather than closing our eyes to the reality.
@Bharat:
"You will see a more assertive India now. And if Pakistan indulges in cross-border terrorism then we shall respond in a language that it understand better."
Is It India's right to sponsor all kinds of subversions and terrorism in her neighboring countries, like it did in East Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the past, and nowadays doing in Pakistan by sponsoring Baloch insurgents and TTP terrorist outfit. I can assure that you will see more assertive response from Pakistan in the coming days, in a language India understand better.
The writer, Seema Mustafa, starts off with the 100% wrong premise that India and Pakistan are in some way similar. Here are some facts. 1. Pakistan is constitutionally a state that promotes one religion and actively discriminates against others. India does not. 2. In Pakistan the Hindu/Sikh population has been decimated since partition and reduced to almost non-existance. In India the Muslim population has grown and have not fled to Pakisdtan to save their lives as Hindus from Pakistan have. Thats' the biggest difference. 3. Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism. If you dont accept that, at;east accept Pakistan state is the home place of largest number of terrorists in the world. 4. Wars initiated by Pakistan.
So yes, India has every right to condemn Pakistan.
@Epitome: Wrong, extremism in Pakistan can be eliminated by: . 1. Teaching correct history and not fanning the flames of hatred. 2. Creating a durable law against terror and ensuring that all those who terrorize others in Pakistan and India are brought to book. This includes the good and bad Taliban, non-state actors and rogue agents. . Whenever Pakistan has done well economically, the army has attacked India otherwise it is the mujahideen/fidayeen. etc. but with relatively less intensity. . I don't know about the other poster, but I definitely do not follow the Indian electronic media. The only newspaper I read is Deccan Herald. In no way does this dilute my comment above. . As for the author, I can only repeat what I said last week. Balderdash!
Well said @Foreign Leg. Regardless of the bile and invective on some Indian media, commentators like Seema Mustafa and most Pakistanis have no idea about the deep and abiding anger in the Indian public at Pakistan ceaseless terrorist attacks on India and its constant denial. The media only reflects this anger and the government too has begun to respond to it. The Seema Mustafas live in a different world and are completely oblivious to and insensitive to the suffering of ordinary people to the Pakistani assaults.
Clear, the two comments above prove their media does get to their heads. Is terrorism an issue in Pakistan? A resounding yes. Although threats of war will get us nowhere. Extremism in Pakistan can only be eliminated through economic development and education. That is not India's problem although painting all of Pakistan as terrorist nation is unfair and uninformed. It would be equivalent of calling all Indian men rapists due to several incidents of rape/gang rape. Each and every Pakistani needs to go soul searching and ask themselves honestly what they can do for their country. India has done really well economically, maybe use them as a model to develop economically and convince the bearded, sexually frustrated men to get jobs and live happily as opposed to making living impossible. Help each other as opposed pointing fingers.
There can be no good relations with Pakistan until and unless it stops exporting terrorism to India. Pakistani govt needs to understand this. Talks and killings cannot go on at the same time. We cannot just close our eyes to Pak sponsored terrorism and pretend as if there's nothing wrong with Pakistan. There's a limit for everything and we have reached to the limit of our tolerance now. Read Indian Parliament's unanimous resolution today; it reflects our true sentiments that we shall not tolerate Pakistani nonsense anymore. I'm not saying that we should cut off all ties with Pakistan but we should just maintain minimum connections with them. Keep them at a proper distance. We have nothing against the people of Pakistan. They are just like us. But the truth is they have no say in their country's affairs. Ultimately it's their hawkish 'India-centric' army and extremist elements who call the shots. We cannot just tolerate it anymore. That time has long gone when Indian could be needled by Pakistan and go unpunished. You will see a more assertive India now. And if Pakistan indulges in cross-border terrorism then we shall respond in a language that it understand better. You know what I mean.
@Author: You have no idea what pain the Mumbai attacks have caused to ordinary citizens of India. I heard much rhetoric about Pakistan growing up in Mumbai, but I could never care less. The attacks made me realize that the constant subterfuge, indoctrination and machinations by our neighbor are all true. . You may say that the media is feeding the frenzy. I will admit that a few such as Times Now (whose sister company Times of India came up with the original Aman Ki Asha) do that, but I rarely ever watch any Indian news channel. As far as I know, most Indians especially in the South, watch vernacular media. Only few channels in India have any credibility and if an analogy is made, Times Now is as credible as Fox News in the US. . To say that these channels dictate Indo-Pak policy is dead wrong. Politicians especially those in the UPA know that they are seen by Indians to be weak and they also have a palpable sense of the anger of ordinary Indians.