PAKISTAN’S MEDIA ROLE IN PROMOTING KASHMIR IDENTITY AND COUNTERING INDIAN FALSE NARRATIVES POST-2019
PAKISTAN’S MEDIA ROLE IN PROMOTING KASHMIR IDENTITY AND COUNTERING INDIAN FALSE NARRATIVES POST-2019
Abstract: -
In 21st Century, States use media as a tool for narratives building. This Article analyzes Pakistan’s role to counter Indian narratives by amplifying Kashmir identity through the media framing after article 370 abrogation. It emphasizes self-determination rights, human rights violations and impact of UN resolutions by media coverage on national and international level. It contrasts Indian media narratives on internal matter, development and normalization in IIOJK with Pakistani media themes on special status, curfews, UN resolutions and bilateral negotiations and issue. It also highlights the role of China and USA media in minor manners by international context. Ultimately, it shows that both Pakistan and India employ media as a powerful tool to shape global perceptions about the Kashmir issue, this article underscores the complexities of media framing in international conflicts, the role of diplomacy with different media campaigns that influence the conflict situation on national, regional and international community.
INTRODUCTION: -
Kashmir issue is a long-standing conflict between Pakistan and India from last seven decades after the partition of British India in 1947. It involves the factors of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and self-determination rights of the people of Kashmir. Pakistan has resolutely championed the cause of Kashmir both at regional and international level by raising voice in favour of Kashmiris’ fundamental rights at all available global forums. Pakistan has also highlighted the plight of Kashmiris’ and violations of human rights by the Indian forces in the Indian held territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
On August 05, 2019 India unilaterally abrogated Article 370 and 35-A of the Indian constitution and annexed the territory into the Indian union in a brazen violation of the international law and the UNSC resolutions that prohibit the occupying state from taking any such decision that undermines the status of a disputed territory. As Article 370 had provided separate constitution, a state flag, and autonomy over the internal administration. After abrogation, people of Kashmir raised voice for their right of self-determination but Indian government imposed the longest lockdown that led to more violence besides disturbing political, economic and social life of the Kashmiri people. To conceal these violations from international community, Indian government developed different narratives and propagated false normalcy and so-called development mantra to hoodwink the international community. Pakistan has demonstrated a great deal of pragmatism by sensitizing international community, raising voice against theft of Kashmir’s identity by India and countering it’s baseless and concocted narratives before the international community.
As Kashmir valley witnessed different humanitarian violations after Article 370 abrogation and these violations shaped the significant narratives on media, based on Kashmir identity and self-determination. This study seeks to analyze Pakistan’s pivotal role in promoting Kashmir identity on media using different themes and investigate or identify narratives on reality grounds which developed by Pakistan to amplified the voices of Kashmiri people on international level. This study also examines the role of Pakistan’s media in countering Indian narratives against Kashmir identity which build false propaganda to stop highlighting the Article 370 abrogation effects on the people of Kashmir. At last, it will also compare the influence and engagement level of Pakistan’s role and Indian narratives in context of Kashmir identity.
Sections 1 of this article gives a brief introduction including literature review, research gap, research methodology and theoretical framework with research objectives and questions. Section 2 describes the discussion and analysis on themes highlighted by Pakistan, effect of Pakistan’s media role in international context and Indian narrative. Section 3 concludes the paper.
There have been studies on the digital media related to Kashmir identity and nationalism but there is lack in comprehensive research on the role of Pakistan’s media role in post article 370 abrogation era. To fulfill this research gap, these questions are the part of this study: -
How Pakistan’s media build narratives in response to Indian narratives?
To what extent Pakistan’s media successfully influenced the narratives of Kashmir identity?
How much India succeed in building propaganda to stop highlighting Article 370 abrogation and violation?
In this study, framing theory is used to address the Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir identity and India’s Narratives to cover Article 370 abrogation and violations. Framing is actually concept to understand the media effects that how media creates base of any issue which plays an important role in people decision making. Framing encourages the decision-making process by highlighting event or issue in different dimensions on which the news frames within a particular viewpoint. This can help in changing the perceptions of the issue among the readers or listeners. Both parties, Pakistan and India using framing theory to promote their narratives in front of local people and international community. India is trying to cover violations in IIOJK through their controlled media with narratives of development aims, step to promote tourism in valley but actually India’s hiding their aims demographic change, Hindutva ideology through these narratives. On the other side, Pakistan is trying to highlight the real situation of Kashmiris after Article 370 abrogation which creates more violence for people through the media narratives against India’s with promoting the Kashmir identity and self-determination rights for the people of Kashmir.
This study adopts qualitative research methodology with the analytical research design in which theory of framing apply in the case Pakistan’s narrative promoting in favor of Kashmir and India’s Narrative building in support of Article 370 Abrogation. Secondary data is utilized such as from different research articles (online sources such as Google scholar, Online libraries and HEC digital library) newspaper articles and reports are included.
HYPOTHESIS: - Pakistan’s media counters Indian’s narratives through various themes amplifying Kashmir Identity on Article 370 revocation.
2.DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS: -
There are different strategies and themes which adopted by Pakistan’s media to promote Kashmir identity and countering false narratives of Indian Government upon the illegal act of the Article 370 abrogation.
1.Themes highlighted by Pakistan in response to Indian Narratives: -
- Special Status and Article 370 abrogation: -
As Article 370 was considered as a legal paper which provided special status to Kashmir but after abrogation it was changed as “Amit Shah, stated in Parliament that “I want to tell the people of J&K what damage Article 370 and 35A did to the state. It is because if these sections that democracy was never fully implemented, corruption increased in the state that no development could take place” . Indian media developed narratives on these points to hide out actual violations in the valley and aims to promote Hindutva ideology with strong stance on right action of abrogation. Pakistan’s media in response highlighted the special status of Kashmir which was actually the major factor of Article 370 constitution by developing stance on demographic change which is actually the aims of Indian state to change population of Kashmir from Muslim majority to Muslim minority and Hindu minority to Hindu Majority. It developed stance for Pakistan’s media that “Kashmiris resistance against Indian rule and their struggle for the right of self-determination is guaranteed under international law. PM Modi dismissed Kashmir special status and demoted the region’s status from an autonomous state to a Union territory. Yet, it also came out that application of Article 370 encourages vested interests to have created a climate of separatism and seriously disgraced or discouraged investment in the region, limited economic opportunities and hurt younger generations” .
Curfews/Restrictions as a Violation of human rights: -
After the bill passed for the abrogation of special status, India sent 10,000 extra troops to Kashmir and imposed severe restrictions on the movement and Indian security forces started curfews against anti-India policies. There was complete information blackout and Kashmiris were repressed access to any form of internal or external communications. Indian media used these restrictions as a state action against terrorists who are responsible for this insurgency in Kashmir. On the other hand, Pakistan countered it with the theme of violation of human rights and highlighted the different case stories through the usage of digital and social media.
New Delhi was worrying too much on security and military measures through pressing policies, thereby ignoring economy to resolve conflict factors of Kashmir and that might increase the tensions in the disputed region. As a result, they look at simple short-cut to get control through media framing in front of international community”. But Pakistan tried to counter it with facts of violations that were occurring in the Kashmir.
Violations of UN Resolutions: -
In response to Indian narratives on Article 370 abrogation, Pakistan’s media tried to make strong case based on UN resolutions and stressing the need for implementation of these resolutions to resolve the dispute peacefully. As compared to India, Pakistan’s media coverage on Kashmir has not been up to the mark. Due to obvious reasons, the Pakistani media fell short of viewer’s expectations to expose the Indian brutalities at global level. Pakistani media has often reported it but many times influenced by the political and national interests in front of global community.
Bilateral Issue rather than Internal matter: -
After Article 370 abrogation, Indian media showed world Kashmir as an internal matter of India for the purpose to hide out basic aims of Hindutva dominance and demographic change. Indian media maintains the Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter and highlighted the significance of the region’s integration to rest of the country.
Pakistan’s media countered it through the India’s media framing and propaganda stance and highlighted the importance of resolving the dispute peacefully in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and under the spirit of other bilateral agreements that besides acknowledging the disputed status of the Kashmir conflict call for negotiated settlement of the dispute through dialogue and diplomacy. Sadly, India is considering IIOJK as a legal part and the Indian mainstream media projects it as an internal matter rather than a bilateral issue. Pakistani media, on the other hand tried to focus on the disputed nature of the Kashmir issue and amicable settlement of the dispute.
Hindu extremist ideology and threat to south Asian security: -
“In all the discussions and news reports, it was marked that the Indian ruling party BJP is always prefixed with Hindu nationalist. Even when PM Modi is refereed, he is dubbed to lead the Hindu nationalist party. Roby Barett in CGTN said that the Indian government is run by sectarian Hindu dominated ruling party that has abrogated the special status of Kashmir” To follow it Indian media is under BJP ruling and acting in a controlled way to promote Hindutva ideology even in the context of Kashmir conflict rather than showing the Kashmir real matter. Pakistan’s media countered this narrative in the context of south Asian security and as a future threat for regional powers but as well for world.
2.Effects of Pakistan’s media role on Kashmir identity narratives in international context: -
The above themes are actually the sign of dimensions that discussed in different press and digital media on Pakistani and Indian channels. All of these themes from Pakistan’s media were related to special status to the state of IIOJK, autonomy issue, restrictions, curfews, operations and raids imposed by the Indian government after the article 370 revocation. On the international level, China and America (a regional and superpower) are selected for the analysis of media coverage by Pakistani and Indian media narratives through media framing in this study.
The Chinese media gave more attention on the development, peace and stability in the region and also highlighted the role of the international community on Kashmir issue in bilateral context. On the other side, US media focused on the regional organizations, role of UN security council, nuclear power of Pakistan and India as well cross-border terrorism. On the opposite, US media also criticized and condemn the Hindu nationalist government led by Modi that has dominated the scene and for the resultant consequence. It also criticized the right-wing nationalist party BJP for disturbing the settled principle and implementing their election ruling. But it is important to note that American media never discussed the Kashmir issue in the context of India-Pakistan relations, but in the perspectives of American interest on the issue .
According to some points on this question from foreign affairs ministry of Pakistan representatives highlighted that, on three days (05 Feb) (05 Aug) (27 Oct) each year Pakistan’s embassies in more than 90 countries arranges special events and peace protests on Kashmir identity and violations by Indian forces which directly effects human rights. All these events are covered by media coverage to promote the Kashmir issue in real manners in front of international community through the combined effort of Pakistani media and foreign ministry of Pakistan.
3.Indian media efforts to stop highlighting Abrogation through propaganda: -
After article 370 revocation, India has been shaping the Kashmir picture in the manner of integral part of India through the strong narrative building by media manipulation. There total communication blackout in IIOJK after abrogation but on national Indian channels there was totally controlled media framing occurred through different fake stances and propagandas. As per statistics collected by times of India, India actually highlighted the abrogation as a welcome act for the future of Kashmir. Behind this statement, they were developed stance on economic development both within and beyond Kashmir land as well this act would create better job, economic opportunities for the people of Kashmir.
From the statistics of different Indian media and press outlets, a decline seen in the number of articles on abrogation of Article 370 and 35A. These types of action are being part of propaganda game that infusing disinformation in front of international community by building strong picture that Kashmiris are accepting the abrogation and secondly that revocation of articles is an internal matter because Kashmir is integral part of India . These types of Indian narratives make strong stance and media framing in front of Indian locals but not all in front of international community due to counter narratives from Pakistan’s community on real picture of human rights violations and beyond major aims of promoting Hindutva ideology and demographic change.
As per the research of Anirban Sen’s research, who collected 27,744 articles for the research, Modi takes the first spot for largest media coverage in India, thus concluding that in India, Modi and his party Bhartiya Janata Party is given 55.7% of the media coverage. All of this point out that how BJP and Modi can easily infuse war hysteria, an alternative picture of Kashmir and anti-Pakistan sentiment in India and beyond .
CONCLUSION: -
In conclusion, the article sheds light on Pakistan’s role to counter Indian narratives and to amplify Kashmir identity on global stage. By highlighting themes such as Kashmir’s special status, human rights violations, UN resolutions, bilateral dynamics and the risk of Hindu extremist ideology on south Asian security. These themes play significant role to some extent in countering Indian narratives from Pakistani media. This analysis also reveals the media’s differential impact on international audiences and community specially in context of China and USA. Pakistan’s concerted efforts, including embassies arranging events and peace protest in numerous countries, highlighting the importance of media coverage in garnering international support for Kashmir’s cause.
However, the study underlines India’s narrative role which portrayed the economic development and normalization in IIOJK.
Ultimately, both Pakistan and India employ media as a powerful tool to shape global perceptions about the Kashmir issue, this research underscores the complexities of media framing in international conflicts, the role of diplomacy with different media campaigns that influence the conflict situation on national, regional and international community.
References
Journal of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences, (JHSMS), Munazza Khalid https://www.ideapublishers.org/index.php/jhsms
The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies Vol. 2, No. 1 (January 2021) 2150002
Imran, S., & Zafar, M. A. (2021). Propaganda Warfare: Indian Disinformation Campaign against Pakistan. Global Strategic & Security Studies Review, VI(II), 32-46. https://doi.org/10.31703/gsssr.2021(VI -II).04
Pakistan Journal of Social Research ISSN 2710-3129 (P) 2710-3137 (O) Vol. 4, No. 2, April-June 2022, pp. 1127-1135.
Written By:AMMAR RAZA
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