Daily Times

The Pakistani political institutions have forgotten the unassailable science of propaganda. Propaganda, in its many forms and types, has been the most powerful weapon for carving the course of history. The science of propaganda communicates with the conscious intent of manipulation. Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine in 1775 and 1776 in such persuasive prose espousing the American Independence from Great Britain was a clear and straight forward example of the Psychological Propaganda.

Historically, human psychology was used in shaping public opinions, which later gave the political leadership an edge to mold state politics accordingly. Politics of 17^th, 18^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries are full of such examples where political propaganda was used as a military strategic tool to build and shape opinions.

The Gazette des Ardennes, a German Press in the French language for accentuating the occupied areas and Hitler propagandizing the ethnic cleansing of ethnic Germans in Poland thus validating a need for the struggle of power in unified Germany and political independence from Polish authorities, is another set of examples of successful historic propagandas.

Now, Pakistani intelligence agencies, political institutions, and intelligentsia need to repeat the history of propaganda in the context of Kashmir. Cast the mind back to the time of cold war, when US intelligence agencies were involved in anti-communist propaganda and the release of Red Dawn (a Hollywood film) on the silver screen depicted the US invasion by Soviets with their allies, where a group of schoolboys resisted the occupation with guerilla warfare naming themselves as Wolverines.

The very same use of psychology can be used for highlighting the atrocities in the vale of Kashmir by brutal Indian forces. This is the high time where the acts of barbarity, inhumanity, and transgressions being committed by Indian forces and troops must be highlighted through direct and indirect use of propaganda globally.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address at United Nations General Assembly clearly apprised the ignorant and interest-driven world with sheer Indian violations of 11 UN resolutions, Simla accord (signed by Pakistan and India validating and recognizing the bilateral nature of Kashmir issue), Fourth Geneva Convention (where the protection of civilians under military occupation was assured) as well as the scrapping of its own constitution by revoking the article 370 and 35(A) through presidential order.

The fascist regime of Modi (the follower and lifetime member of RSS, as rightly said by Prime Minister Imran Khan) and the plight of innocent Kashmiris must be highlighted on global level propaganda by involving intelligence agencies, media industry, foreign diplomats and Pakistani diaspora abroad.

The example of Poster-propaganda that was used in Brexit Referendum, can be forged in manifesting the atrocities upon Kashmiris like enforced disappearances, mass killings, rape, sexual abuses, and tortured.

The flagbearers of human rights must be sensitized by propagating the acts of savagery and iniquity committing by Indian forces in Indian Occupied Region. Media propaganda must be used as it was used in the US-Iraq 2003 war, framed by US networks as Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is the ripe time for Pakistani political leadership to make profound efforts for the implementation of UN resolutions that granted the right of self-determination to Kashmiris without further deferment.

The writer is a CSS Qualifier and faculty member at NOA Islamabad