Trumpeting Claims

The borderline between truth and propaganda gets blurred during war. That is only natural since two warring groups or countries are supposedly propelled by the sole aim of defeating the enemy by hook or by crook.

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Pure propaganda, half-truth or even falsehood is a potent arsenal in the armory of warring sides. As the Bard said “everything is fair in love and war.” But, when a third party starts staking claims of playing a key role in a war between two countries in such a manner that confusion is created between truth and falsehood, it poses a grave problem. This is what is currently happening in the case of India-Pakistan conflict in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack that nearly developed into a full-blown war but luckily stopped short. The claims and counterclaims made by both countries regarding the damage caused by the one on the other are obviously part of war games that rest on falsehood. In this case, all sides are claiming victory. Indian leaders, both civil and military, have openly admitted that the respective Directors General Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations were in constant touch with each other and a ‘rational’ war was fought. Pakistan has not refuted this claim. While India has claimed it has struck deep inside Pakistan territory and successfully destroyed terror infra in selected places in a measured aggression, Pakistan has also promoted its Army chief Syed Asim Munir claiming that he could give India a befitting military reply in the 4 day conflict.