Faizah Gillani- London
It has been several weeks since Indian Occupied Kashmir was placed under curfew, following the revocation of Article 370. And since then the global media has shown a significant interest for the current situation, something it has not done much of in the past. The international media over the years has been guilty of ignoring the plight of Kashmiris living under Indian occupation, failing to provide them with a platform so that their voices can be heard, their stories told to the rest of the world. Kashmir has been gagged for an awfully long time; it is criminal.
But whenever the international media covered Indian Occupied Kashmir in the past, it was predominantly viewed from the Indian or Pakistani perspective, often forgetting those at the heart of the issue – the people of Kashmir. Today, we are witnessing a change in how the conflict is viewed, with more focus on the men, women and children that are being held hostage on their own land today. Credible television channels such as the BBC, Al Jazeera and TRT World have given extensive coverage, and major newspapers from across the globe such as Washington Post, New York Times, and The Guardian have covered stories that highlight the difficulties faced by Kashmiris right now and expose the ugly side to secular India.
Even though it has been a long time coming, the mainstream media is finally sitting up and taking notice of the dire situation in Kashmir. The global media should be applauded for its unbiased and gritty reporting of the ground realities within Kashmir at present. A communications blockade continues to cut off and separate the people of Kashmir from the rest of the world. But international journalists and reporters are managing to bring harrowing stories and truths forward for the rest of us. If there is one good thing to have come out of Modi’s outrageous move to revoke Kashmir’s special status, it is the fact that his actions have internationalised the issue of Kashmir, something that India ironically never wanted.
The BBC recently presented a damning report over the situation within Kashmir, in which the Indian army has been accused of using torture. Local villagers said they were severely beaten with sticks, cables and given electric shocks. The Indian army, however, has called this “baseless” and “unsubstantiated.” The BBC had also previously reported of some locals defying curfew and protesting, which was also denied by the Indian government, even though the BBC obtained footage of it. India’s denial comes as no real surprise and is expected. But what matters is the significance of extensive coverage provided by a media giant such as the BBC, which is recognised globally and regarded as a credible source.
However, in contrast to the reporting of the international media, India has failed miserably. Modi’s move to revoke article 370 was welcomed and supported by the mainstream media, hardly a surprise there. But the role of the media in any real democracy is to shed light on the truth, and to bring its government to account. The media should stand for the truth, not work as a side kick or accomplice for the government’s wrongdoings. However, rather than reporting the facts and highlighting the ground realities, we are seeing the Indian media play the role of cheerleader for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian media is complicit with the right-wing Hindutva government sitting in New Delhi, and it is extremely frightening.
Arnab Goswami, a sensationalist Indian news anchor, on one of his shows appealed to UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson to lock up the BBC for what he referred to as false reporting and lies over Kashmir. He challenged the BBC’s report, despite the BBC standing its ground and owning everything that was documented. Goswami is a hard-line news anchor that appears to be searching for ratings rather than the truth. Therefore, such comments can be expected by a news anchor whose job is to create hysteria and whip viewers up in a war frenzy.
But even credible journalists are towing the government line and parroting their narrative. Take Barkha Dutt for instance, who has built an entire career over the Kashmir conflict. Ever since the curfew was put in place, Barkha Dutt has been bending backwards to convince the rest of the world that things are normal within Kashmir, despite complete lockdown and communications blockade. One would have expected a journalist of Barkha’s calibre to at least raise concerns over the prolonged curfew, if not use of torture. But instead, she chooses to play the role of New Delhi apologist.
It is deeply disturbing to see how Barkha Dutt, like many others, has not called out the government for its blatant tyranny. Instead, they are finding ways to defend the government’s madness. There is a shortage of food and medical supplies, schools and businesses are closed. Roads are deserted, but the media is projecting an all is well image to the rest of the world. There have been reports of young boys being picked up and tortured, girls and women being harassed at the hands of the army. But the Indian media chooses to gloss over this and side with its government. The silence of the media over the army’s abuse and torture is a disgrace. It once again proves that it is Kashmir and not the Kashmiris that interests India.
It is shocking to see how the media has become indoctrinated by the lies fed by its own government. And this is one of the many reasons why India has gotten away with its Human Rights abuses within Kashmir all this time. Despite being a part of the world’s largest democracy, the media has never called out its army on its brutality, nor has it questioned India’s legitimacy within Kashmir. It has never acknowledged India’s blood-stained hands. India is fast becoming the new North Korea of the world, where the media twists facts and presents an altered version of the truth. By working as the government’s mouthpiece, and blindly accepting everything thrown at them, Indian media is behaving exactly like Pyongyang state television.
The Indian media, however, has bitten off more than it can chew. As time goes on and as the international media continues to follow the ongoing situation in Kashmir, more truths will come out and India’s brutal role within the troubled region will be further exposed. The Indian media will find it very tough to counter argue and defend its own government. Right now, rather than answering questions over Kashmir, Indian media is using its best deflection strategy, which is to blame Pakistan. However, even this can only be used up to a certain point. Growing international coverage will only make it harder for the Indian media to conceal the ground realities.
India as a country has successfully built a mesmerising image of itself over the years. The world fell in love with an India rich in culture, and international media coverage of India has been predominantly positive. However, for the first time we are beginning to see a shift in how the international media projects India. We are gradually seeing the media of the world raise questions over India’s role in Kashmir and how it treats people in the Muslim majority state. Most of this comes down to the fact that Modi himself has pushed Kashmir into the spotlight, despite always maintaining that Kashmir is India’s internal matter. But credit should be given to the Pakistan government as well.
Imran Khan’s government initially appeared to be somewhat confused and rattled by Modi’s actions, almost like a headless chicken, running frantically to figure out how to handle India. But once the international media picked up on the Kashmir story, Pakistan jumped on the bandwagon and used this to its advantage. In recent times we have seen Prime Minister Imran Khan contribute to The New York Times on Kashmir and has appeared on various international channels such as Russian Television and Al Jazeera, in order to keep the focus on Indian atrocities. Prime Minister Khan has also likened Modi to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler, which has been picked up by the International media and has been quoted in several media outlets.
The government of Pakistan might still appear to be in two minds over ways to deal with India, but one can safely say that Pakistan has smartly used the international media to its advantage, when highlighting the grave situation within Kashmir. The comparisons of RSS ideology with the Nazis seems to have struck a chord with the international media, that has picked up on this comparison, right from Europe all the way to America. One can argue that Pakistan has a one up over India on this front. By continuing to engage with the foreign media, the Pakistan government is pushing Kashmir further onto the global stage.
Of course, the media is not going to grant the people of Kashmir their right to self-determination. This is a long and drawn out struggle that has plagued generations within Indian Occupied Kashmir. But the role of the international media is vital for the Kashmir cause and should never be dismissed. Let us not forget that the last thing India wants is for all eyes to be fixed on Kashmir. India has always been more than happy for the world to forget about Kashmir, as it meant that New Delhi would not be questioned for its gross Human Rights violations and tyranny. But recent interest in Kashmir must make Modi feel uneasy.
One cannot deny that the media is a powerful tool that builds perceptions. Slowly and gradually a questionable image of India is growing in the context of Kashmir, and this well help the Kashmir cause. International coverage will mean that world leaders and big stage players will find it increasingly difficult to dodge the question of Kashmir for much longer, and big forums such as the United Nations will be served as a constant reminder. International media coverage will also attract new voices, which has already been the case within the United States of America. Senator Ilhan Omar and Democrat nominee for President Bernie Sanders are just a couple of examples of voices that have spoken out in favour of Kashmir and have expressed their concern over India’s aggressive approach. This is the power of the media.
In a recent rally held in Azad Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke of taking up the role of Kashmir’s ambassador worldwide. He told the crowd that he will be making more appearances on international tv channels in order to spread the word on Kashmir. The advantage that Imran Khan has over his counterpart Narendra Modi is the fact that the Pakistani Prime Minister is a far better orator and can engage with foreign journalists in a manner that is savvier. Therefore, it is not surprising to see Imran Khan use these skills to his advantage and so far, it seems to be working. This way, the Kashmir conflict will reach places that have not heard much on the issue to begin with. And this does make a difference.
Prior to the revocation of Article 370, global media coverage of Kashmir was equivalent to dribs and drabs. But today, the Kashmir curfew has become a talking point and the current situation is getting its due attention. Kashmiris have always needed a platform to tell their story, but it was often denied due to the lack of understanding over the issue. But today we are witnessing a real interest in Kashmir, something that was lacking before. Whatever happens from here onwards can only be a step in the right direction. Global media attention has given Kashmir that much needed boost, and India will not be able to stop Kashmir from becoming a focal point. This is only just the beginning. But if anything, the struggle of the Kashmiri people deserves to be told.
