Cognitive Warfare
Pakistan Media Accountability: Narrative Control Analysis
Assessing the role of mainstream media in shaping national narratives and the lack of accountability in regional information operations.
August 14, 2017
Assessing the role of mainstream media in shaping national narratives and the lack of accountability in regional information operations.
Let’s recall our memories of a speech of a senior Pak Army official that he delivered as the chief guest at a military educational institution in Rawalpindi on India’s Republic Day in 2014, asserting that India poses no greater threat to Pakistan but extremism/terrorism does.
Granted, we expect them to be active in Afghanistan, where they are fighting for legitimacy against the Taliban, the Afghan National Army and the US-led military force. In Pakistan, however, where they have no foothold, no matter what the media would like to report, they are attempting to strike fear into Pakistani hearts.
So, we have an account of a foreign ‘contractor,’ unfortunately we have silence on our side. Who this silence serves, I don’t know, but it appears that the military is getting part of the blame.
While there have been constant attempts by New Delhi and Kabul to undermine these successes by continuing to wage terrorism in Pakistan from Afghan soil while employing their assets in media for systematic disinformation, anyone who wants to witness these successes with their own eyes can visit Pakistan and do so.
For decades, Pakistanis have been told that Afghanistan is a “brotherly Islamic country” with cultural and people-to-people ties with Pakistan. For decades, Pakistan has also consistently faced long and short waves of terrorism and crimes, a good proportion of which have been traced to Afghanistan.
We have a phrase at CommandEleven – be a victim or a volunteer. A victim is someone who fights to the end. A volunteer submits.
Which one were you?
It will be on rare occasions that you’ll find me addressing the CommandEleven audience about something related to CommandEleven. We didn’t build this platform, bring the best analysts together and begin counter the negative image being wrongly portrayed about Pakistan to sit back and accept someone’s blind judgement of our work and organization.
Some people are of the opinion that India and Pakistan could have better relations, and that it is Pakistan who causes acrimony, with the Establishment specifically to blame. They qualify their argument by accusing the Establishment of creating an artificial situation so as to justify a huge defense budget, pay and allowances and perks.
Following the 9/11 incident in 2001, US and its allied forces invaded Afghanistan in a bid to eliminate Al-Qaida and Taliban, their safe-heavens and free the country from their “oppression.” Apart from providing billons of aids for reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, the United States have spent $70 billion thus far to build 350,000 strong Afghan National Army and Police to fight against terrorism and provide better security to the people.