Communication in the Time of Conflict

Communication plays a major role in modern warfare, where the right message needs to go out not only to the domestic public but also to the international community.

- JOYEETA BASU

It is in this department that India seems to have been failing in its Operation Sindoor, while winning the actual battle convincingly. But this was until the time the DGMO press conferences started, where the senior-most officers of the Indian armed forces put up a fool-proof case to show how India has pummelled Pakistan.

Compared to this, the Pakistani DG ISPR's press conferences resemble a clown show, with what is jokingly referred to as "trust me bro", replacing actual proof. But then the problem is that in the international media at least, Pakistani claims have got amplified, including the ridiculous one about Pakistani drones hovering over New Delhi. It is surprising that these international news agencies would highlight Pakistani claims in such a manner, while often giving a passing mention to whatever Indians have been saying.

This can be seen as an extension of the bias that exists in mainstream Western media towards India, and is not a new phenomenon. This has been aggravated in the last decade because of the legacy media's hatred for India's right-of-centre government. So the fiction about India suffering badly in Operation Sindoor have been floated around the world, ably aided by Pakistan's misinformation campaign.