A Dangerous Doctrine: How India’s Pattern of Propaganda and Manufactured Crises Threatens South Asian Peace

In recent times, the political and military leadership in New Delhi has once again returned to a familiar and troubling style of governance, one that is marked by aggressive statements and a clear hostility towards Pakistan. This return to harsh language is not a new event but rather follows a well known historical path where baseless allegations and manufactured crises are used to achieve domestic political goals. This dangerous game not only poisons the environment in an already tense region but also purposely ignores the constant calls for peace and self control coming from Islamabad.

The Return of Aggressive Statements

A troubling increase in aggressive statements from Indian officials has become a matter of serious concern. These statements seem aimed at stirring up extreme nationalistic feelings rather than promoting peace. This wave of conflict helps to distract from internal problems and creates an excuse for future reckless actions.

♦ Political Posturing for Domestic Gains: Key figures within the Indian government have issued statements that are both provoking and without real cause, often hinting at military options and punishment against Pakistan. This type of talk typically increases around election times or in response to domestic pressures.

♦ Military Leadership Echoing Political Narratives: It is equally alarming when the Indian military leadership, which should remain professional and separate from politics, copies the language of politicians. The current Indian Army Chief, for example, has made statements promising to use force in response to any perceived challenge, language that purposely raises tensions and appeals to a domestic political audience instead of showing professional military caution.

A History of Baseless Allegations

The current wave of accusations is not new. India has a long history of making serious accusations against Pakistan without presenting believable or checkable evidence to the world, often using these claims as a reason for military posturing.

♦ The 2001 Parliament Attack and Operation Parakram: After the attack on the Indian Parliament, New Delhi started a huge military buildup along the Pakistani border without a proper investigation. This led to a long and dangerous standoff that brought the two nuclear armed neighbors to the edge of war, all based on conclusions that were drawn too quickly.

♦ Post Mumbai Attacks and Dossier Diplomacy: While the 2008 Mumbai attacks were a tragedy that Pakistan condemned, the diplomatic campaign by India that followed was more focused on blame than on cooperative investigation. The files provided by India lacked actionable intelligence, yet they were used to fuel a global story against Pakistan.

The Doctrine of False Flag Operations

A particularly sneaky part of India’s strategy has been the suspected use of false flag operations. These are designed to trick public opinion and create a reason for war. These incidents are carefully planned to look like acts of aggression from Pakistan, giving India a reason for its own military response.

♦ The Pulwama Incident and its Unclear Aftermath: The 2019 Pulwama attack is a clear example. Many independent analysts and international observers have raised serious questions about the official Indian story of the event. The Indian airstrike in Balakot that followed, which was presented as a major success, has been widely questioned by international media, showing a large gap between claims and reality.

♦ Exploiting Incidents for Political Mileage: Such operations are often timed to happen during important domestic events. By creating a national security crisis, the government in power can rally the public around a patriotic platform, effectively silencing opposition and turning attention away from pressing internal issues.

Propaganda and Information Warfare

The Indian state system, working with mostly obedient media companies, has perfected the art of creating and spreading anti Pakistan propaganda. This nonstop information war is aimed at making Pakistan look like a villain on the global stage while making its own people more extreme.

♦ Spreading Hate on Prime Time TV: Indian media has abandoned journalistic honesty. Television screens are filled with retired military figures like Major General G.D. Bakshi and Major Gaurav Arya, whose dramatic anger and baseless angry speeches against Pakistan fill the minds of ordinary citizens with hatred and suspicion.

♦ Intolerance in the Commentary Box: The over sensitivity of the Indian media was fully visible when celebrated Pakistani cricketer and commentator Sana Mir made a simple, factual reference to a player from Azaad Kashmir. This harmless comment was purposely twisted and blown up into a national controversy, unleashing a flood of hateful comments and propaganda.

♦ A Global Record in Disinformation: India’s efforts in information warfare have reached a massive scale. The multi year investigation by the EU DisinfoLab uncovered a huge network of fake media outlets made to harm Pakistan’s reputation at international forums, exposing the deep level of this state sponsored falsehood.

Pakistan’s Consistent Stance on Peace and Restraint

Facing constant provocation, Pakistan’s response has always been marked by maturity, self control, and a call for the peaceful settlement of all issues. This approach is based on a strong belief that the region’s success depends on peace and stability.

♦ A Measured and Professional Response: During the 2019 crisis, the Pakistan Armed Forces acted with excellent professionalism and self control, showing a clear desire to calm the situation. The downing of an Indian aircraft and the later return of the captured pilot was a praised act of peace that was in sharp contrast to the war-mongering from across the border.

♦ An Unwavering Commitment to Dialogue: Pakistan has repeatedly called for talks and the peaceful settlement of disputes, including the main issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad’s proposals for talks have been consistently met with India’s refusal to cooperate.

The Modi Government’s Domestic Compulsions

The aggressive foreign policy of the current Indian government is directly connected to its domestic political project, which is based on an ideology that favors the majority and excludes others. This has created a political environment where aggressive nationalism is a powerful tool to gather support.

♦ The Hindutva Ideology as a Driving Force: The ruling party’s ideological commitment to Hindutva requires the creation of an external ‘other’ to strengthen its domestic political base. Pakistan serves as an easy target to blame in this story, allowing the government to project an image of strong nationalism.

♦ Extending Ideological Battles to the Cricket Pitch: This political agenda has aggressively entered the world of sports. The Indian cricket team captain recently mentioned the Indian army in his post match comments, a clear politicization of the game. This was followed by the team’s disrespectful refusal to accept a trophy from the President of the Asian Cricket Council, Mohsin Naqvi, simply because he is a Pakistani, proving that for this government, every stage is a battlefield.

Implications for Regional and Global Security

India’s irresponsible behavior has deep effects that go beyond the bilateral relationship, creating a long lasting problem for the security and stability of the entire South Asian region.

♦ The Nuclear Dimension: The escalating tendencies of the Indian leadership are particularly dangerous given that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers. Any military miscalculation could spiral into a disastrous war with unthinkable results for the region and the world.

♦ Undermining Regional Cooperation: The constant state of tension actively harms all efforts at regional cooperation and economic partnership. Initiatives like SAARC have been made ineffective, mainly due to India’s refusal to engage in a positive way.

Conclusion: The Need for Responsible Governance

The world must look beyond the surface appearance of India being a democracy and recognize the dangerous and unstable path its current leadership is on. The world cannot afford to remain a silent witness to the planned escalation of tensions in a nuclear armed region.

♦ The Need for Evidence Based Diplomacy: It is vital that global powers insist on diplomacy that is based on checkable evidence rather than baseless allegations. The practice of using state sponsored propaganda as an excuse for aggression must be condemned by everyone.

♦ The Unavoidable Path of Dialogue: In the end, the only path to a lasting peace in South Asia is through continuous and real dialogue. It is the responsibility of Indian leaders to abandon the current policy of hostility and accept Pakistan’s long standing offer for a peaceful and just settlement of all disputes.