Narrative Control On J&K: A Good Beginning With ‘Black Day'

To counter Pakistani spin, historic instances such as the resistance to its raiders by the people of Kashmir in 1947-48 and 1965 need to be retold

- Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd)

Even as Ladakh remains strongly etched in the public mind as an area of major concern in the security domain, there is much interest in the state of things in J&K. The enormous complexity of the problem is, however, not fully perceived by most, although the situation being currently ‘advantage India’ is largely appreciated. The need for full narrative control to enable the correct perception to prevail and allow the rightful progression of the situation flowing from the historic decisions of 5 August 2019 is a virtual imperative. narrative control is something that India has taken for granted in the past, laying little focus on it due to a self-perceived belief that we have moral dominance. That is a good abiding belief but in the world of realpolitik, what is also important is to cultivate that belief in the international community: the people, media and leadership. Making our narrative their narrative remains the key.