Information warfare is exactly as it sounds – the weaponization of words. Pakistan has, thus far, failed miserably at fighting the information war, most times selflessly providing the information that is twisted by enemies and used against the nation and its people. Whether it is Pakistan’s politicians, diplomatic corps or media savvy anchors, the information war has flown over their heads, leaving them unable to win over hearts and minds.
The DAWNLeaks report is finally here and a notification has been issued from the PM House. Four people and an institution have been blamed for DAWNLeaks that include Rao Tehsin Ali, Principal Information Officer in the Ministry of Information, and Tariq Fatemi, the Special Assistant to the PM.
The New York Times has long considered itself an expert on Afghanistan and Pakistan, based on the sheer number of articles and books that have been published by staffers.
The job of the media in every civilized nation to inform and educate the public, to take the difficult problems, policies and government positions and make them easier to understand for their readers and viewers.
When you are able to convince the citizenry of another country that they can’t trust their military to defend them, you have made conquering a nation much easier and significantly less bloody.
There is a fantastic principle that is taught in most schools of government and war colleges. It’s a principle that is very easily understood by many of us, but very difficult to identify when we are busy with our normal lives. It’s actually designed to be that way.
We would love to pretend that this is the first time an occurrence like this has happened, but it’s just not the case. The Pakistani media, in the battle for ratings and viewers, elevates non-stories and unconfirmed rumors to breaking news, sometimes shaking the national conscience.
When you talk to the common man, you find that everyone has a different opinion about the past decade of war, each one being a variation of something they have heard on one of the nightly news talk shows or in a newspaper.
