The Information War has greatly sidelined the Pakistan Army as the biggest counter against terrorist movements in the region of South East Asia.
As media units must update themselves to dwell at length about terrorist movements, one wonders how the good fight would be fought sitting abroad, through disseminated information. Although western democracies are averse to authoritarian and military regimes, and as much as ‘bad press’ is given to them- they cannot downplay the role of the Armed Forces of Pakistan as an ally in the WOT over the past twenty years. All efforts to downplay and malign the Pakistan Army today are simply perception-based wars. How else would one divide a country?
Which is possibly what Information warfare does; sideline and distract. A key issue of utmost national security at hand is the emergence of a newly re-energized terrorist nation of Islamic militant groups in the Khorasan region. This, or it would not have popped up on the radar of several think tanks, talks and respective journals with Pakistan listed as a country of concern.
But then again ‘disbursements’ might have already occurred and the media units would now need what is called a ‘software update’ in crude localized terms to hold off their anti-military stance. At least for a while now.
On the other hand, journalism and independent media is not what should be attacked by any means. One should fully support every call for independent voices and specifically those of the minority communities. There has been some ground-breaking work done by many of these units in recording and voicing concerns of gender-based violence, attacks on minorities, vulnerable communities etc. All of which are vital to be outlined and spoken about.
All independent journalism must and should be supported and let them freely have their say; but they should also be recognized for who and what they stand for as well.
The war on Journalism should never be the war to fight. One should also greatly consider the sacrifices of all women journalists and political prisoners in recent months as it adds to a human rights concern that needs to be resolved with urgency. That is only building up the negative pulse of our state run authorities. That having being said, one should be wary of those pseudo-civilians jumping onto a feigned self-sacrificial bandwagon while hijacking narratives of genuine political victims.
As an expert analyst, Jehangir Khattak once said, ‘the definition of Disinfo and propaganda is relative to the region one is sitting in.’ One has to agree.
To an authoritarian run state, anti-military statements would be propaganda to them. To the west, anti-military buildup is simply a stance for the sake of instilling western style democracy.
The western powers will need this little ‘nexus’ called Pakistan for the time being at least. This ‘nexus’ commands an Army utilized and well- versed in taking key decisions for the sake of defending itself and the country – notwithstanding the daily abuse hurled at them by some of their own motivated countrymen in a highly polarized and much-incited environment. This is in sharp contrast to the feelings of “the great silent majority”, a recent Gallup poll saw fully 88% of the people indicating the Pakistan Army as their favourite institution.
One doesn’t agree on what has become of Pakistan and who controls it today. But one will need to accede that the Pakistan Armed Forces who will act as the buffer for most of the terrorist activity in the region. The twitter warrior (now known as X) sitting with a British or US passports across several oceans that will not be in the counterterrorism units fighting on the ground.
One thing that liberal or independent media units have never acknowledged-the efforts of counterterrorism in this region cannot be done without the intelligence, manpower, air space and the resources offered by the Pakistan Defense forces.
No liberal, democrat or otherwise would ultimately survive living in Pakistan should radicalized forces ever take over the country completely. And it would not just be Pakistan in danger; the entire region would be destabilized by disruptive forces.
The role of the Pakistan Army has never been readily or even openly documented by the west in the past; perhaps this time around, should be acknowledged for their counter-terrorism efforts. This, as threat perception foresees a newer leased emergence of ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province) in the region. TTP and TLP rear up their ugly heads on Pakistani soil with intolerance towards anything other than their own extremist dictates.
It is for the sake of national security and greater regional security that a cooperative stance is going to be incoming. One refers to this as in the present tense-after all the US-Pak relations are now reset and recalibrated once more in a joint effort for the once again in a crucial geo-political standpoint.
Despite media warfare ongoing in an anti-military bid, can the Information warfare against the Pakistan Army be re-examined. The reset of US-Pakistan relations also comes into a delicate powerplay once more. Re-engagement has already been done. It will be Pakistan’s intel that will be required in a joint effort in effectively curb terrorist groups.
One day Pakistan will need to settle the problematic internal power struggle which Pakistan has never been able to and possibly will not be able to do (immediately) at this given time. The produced elections might bring a better outlook for the civilians sold on the hybrid project and perhaps pacify them for the time being; this until they realize once again.
For that matter the Pakistan Armed forces would not take advice from a layman or civilian written article, but this time around we must produce a long-lasting relationship with the US without the diplomatic blunders the pseudo-civilians and hybrids are in constant in the need to destroy. We must strategize ourselves in a position that gives the US the ultimate confidence that Pakistan is a reliable partner in combatting terrorism- not cheering on Taliban takeovers. Secularism in Pakistan must be adopted amongst its very trenches.
We were once spoken as in terms of ‘lies and deceit’ and the west would have their reasons for saying so. The people cheering on the sidelines for US forces to leave where not just in the form of bearded zealots as typically shown. They were in the form of the top economic strata as well who are certainly showing up as having religious sentiments that root for what they feel are Islamist ideological values.
In today’s world there will be no space for this. It only means one supports extremism.
For the sake of a better commitment to the people of Pakistan, the wording of “Rule of Law”, “democratized society” and “human rights” would befit the nation to study it not just in Army ranks and military colleges alone but as imparted education for the civilians. A rehaul of Pakistan’s outlook and modernized mindset, for a robust self-identification process is a must for the Pakistanis.
Perhaps the ‘curse of the self-funded’ remains in a few bloodstreams alone where one will eventually require the presence of those who would not simply jump on the bandwagon of the listed units of the secular toting liberals media- all rewriting Pakistan’s history as we speak.
It is the same media units (or even hybrid civilians) who would like to create the conspiracy theory that 1) Jinnah’s 13 points were unfinished and that somebody just hid the original constitution and chucked it. It is in the same perspective that independent media that pulls book upon book that the 2) Two-nation theory was not what the founding fathers of Pakistan really meant. Or that 3) Pakistan should not have been conceived of. The points cyclically regurgitated in desperately trying to ‘re-frame’ the history of Pakistan. The bid for that type ‘independent media’ should have been shelved years ago.
Jinnah was secular- agreed. But he also identified himself as a Muslim and he fully believed in the creation of Pakistan as a separate entity. If paid media ultimately desists or covets a newer themed framework, one can only imagine where would one be as history of Pakistan is documented on the grounds of realism by true historians.
As ‘software updates’ quickly move to the second coming of the latest terrorist watch. We are back in our geo-political stance which our old experts were wanting to detract from. A disgruntled previous or new government will be incoming as well.
But who will fight the terrorists here on ground. It would once again be the Armed Forces of Pakistan who will fight with their men and women at the forefront with their intel. All the while glorified articles give a play by play sitting far away within the intellectual circles in their journals without the acknowledgement of the role of the Pakistanis.
