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Kashmir: Victims of twisted facts
Moderators behave like bus drivers who maneuver the direction of news hour debates according to their tastes. They twist facts cunningly by intermingling unrelated threads often interwoven weirdly
Bilal Kaloo
Past four months of stringent curfews and shutdowns in Kashmir has locked the entire population in their homes. Along with this, a simultaneous attempt to inject what we can best describe as twisted version of Indianised Media on Kashmir is fed to Kashmiris regularly. Not because Kashmiris like it but because local media outlets have been banned and rest of those who operate are often gagged.
With this the worlds largest democracy has epitomized the freedom of expression by the exemplary acts that seeks ban on anything that challenges New Delhis authority.
There seems to be no choice for Kashmiris. As stepping out of homes becomes too foolish when shoot-at-sight orders are in effect, options to stay inside home for long is too difficult to kill ones time.
Man is by nature thirsty of knowledge and information and wants to keep himself updated with latest developments in and around him. The hunger for information about the external happenings leaves one with an only option of turning to television sets. Interestingly, one may manage to escape from the bullets being fired on people in the streets outside, but the no-where-leading news hour debates on Delhi and Mumbai-based news channels on Kashmir unrest squeezes ones body and soul as the outcome of such debates is always futile that only adds to the chaos and confusion existing in the Valley.
Crouching helplessly in front of television screens, the scrolling Breaking News actually breaks nothing but only the belief and trust of those living in a fools paradise.
Pleasing phrases, enticing in nature without practical worth raise hopes for a temporary time. Sample this: PM To Hold All Party Meet, CM Meets PM, PM to Announce Eid Gift, Congress Concerned on Kashmir, Kashmir On Edge, AFSPA May Go. And when nothing such occurs in reality, ones trust gap on such news channels expands more. All this leaves one to remind the past and current breaches of trust by New Delhi.
In many of these debates, the anchors or moderators instead of facilitating or pushing forward the debates act like bus drivers maneuvering the direction of the discussion according to their taste and interests. Divergence is crafted cunningly to intermingle unrelated threads that are interwoven weirdly. When it comes to pro-Kashmiri or pro-freedom participants, the indifference on part of some anchors is obvious as they draw a dividing line in between. The anchors along with pro-Indian participants particularly BJP leaders play different cards to avoid any consensus on the main issue. No doubt Kashmiri pandits suffered in the early phase of the movement, but their pain is projected well beyond more than a lakh Kashmiri coffins. Such disproportionate comparisons can never belittle the legitimacy of the genuine demands that once the prime minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru itself had promised to the people of Kashmir. Professionalism must be impartial and unbiased and journalism need not to take refuge under the umbrella of nationalism. Arnab Goswami of Times Now while moderating a news hour debates was judgmental about Kashmir conflict. He has no capacity to accommodate and acknowledge reality on the ground. Indian state for him is a sacred cow and he fails to realize that as a journalist his feet lie in the fourth estate and not the Indian state. Infotainment- the marriage of information with entertainment has eroded the rudiments of journalism. Neutrality, impartiality and independence of media are now utopian concepts.
As for as the panelists are concerned, the ex- military generals with twisted moustaches keep commanding the conference screens. They dont debate but dictate. Old habits die hard. These ex-military generals reveal their military mentality without paying heed to the humane element of the excesses perpetrated by soldiers on the innocent civilians of Kashmir. They only defend their national interests neglecting ways and means adopted by men in uniform in carrying out their operations against innocent civilians.
During the fuss over partial withdrawal of AFSPA, the holy book was sanctified on the grounds that soldiers (the saviors of nation) need maximum protection to reflect efficiency in their task.
Why are these experts tongue-tied to justify incidents of Kunan-Poshpora, Chattisinghpora, Pathribal, Machil and the endless list of fake encounters and mass rapes? And such so-called brave and heroic acts were rewarded with medals and promotions rather being censured. Representatives of the political parties especially the spokespersons play a salesmans role for their parties advertising agendas and arrogance together. Personalities that are remotely related to the conflict are presented as experts on Kashmir affairs. Out of sync statements made in these talk shows makes a common Kashmiri boil within.
Instead of analyzing the conflict in its entirety, panelists at times selectively try to debate the trivial matters that sideline the main issue, thus adding to the complexity and confusion. These are perceived as premeditated tactics just to send a message that a simple fact is a conundrum requiring a thorough contemplation before arriving at any concrete consensus. The varied shades of opinion makers want to paint the picture according to their own colours and try to score points and nothing else. These debates are spreading like an epidemic, but what annoys the people of valley is the fact that voice of Kashmiris is given a very least consideration. When innocent killings should have been the prime focus, Pandits, Ladakhis and Jammunities were projected from nowhere as the primary stakeholders that deserve immediate consideration. The corporate media is now a versatile tool in the hands of Indian establishment to mould the perception of Indians in general and the people outside in particular to hoodwink them and save her face from embarrassment. India, though being a strong economy along with having the worlds second largest armed forces, is too weak to acknowledge the true aspects of Kashmir conflict. The aroma of arrogance has intoxicated her, so much, that the promises made by its founding fathers are now thrown out to dogs. But history is testimony to the fact that one can not ride too far on the saddle of hypocrisy. The cold wars of weaponry and armory are now replaced by cold war of information. The innovations and advancements in the art of fact fabrication is now becoming a Special Political Zone (SPZ), where Indian policy makers, politicians and think tanks are hammering and tampering facts and shape them to fit into their national interest. And the final products are being transported and marketed by Indian corporate media after adding some spices of glamour and rhetoric. The universal ethics and principles of journalism find place only in the academic side, but on practical platform these things surrender before the mighty politics.
The reins on media are strongly state-dominated and the vocabularies in the news items on Indian media paint an ugly picture of the peaceful protester on the streets of Kashmir. Tags like stone-pelters, mobsters, trouble-makers, anti-national elements and so on. And the peaceful demonstrations are labeled as instigated, orchestrated, militant backed, Pakistan supported and so on. Isnt the word human being appropriate for innocent Kashmiris that are daily killed by troops here? In the semantics of Indian democracy, Kashmiris do not even qualify for being addressed as human beings at all. The venom of indifference and alienation caused by atrocities and injustices has paralyzed the psyche of Kashmiris. The subjugation is now metamorphosing as newer dimensions of exercising control are continuously explored. In this era of information technology, misinformation is proving to be a deadly weapon. It strangulates facts and is aimed to install new memories that fit into the frames of manipulators. The silent war is on affecting not only the helpless oppressed class but also those who would try to raise voice for them. Bullets can poison the body, the misinformation and misinterpretation, however, poisons minds en mass.
Kashmir: Victims of twisted facts
