Nationalism Not Clubbed With Religion

With Operation Sindoor, India delivered a clear and assertive message to the international community: from now on, India will play by its own rules, writes Asad Mirza

- Asad Mirza

In a tit-for-tat response to Operation Sindoor, carried out by India on the night of May 6-7, Pakistan launched a series of drone attacks and heavy shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on Wednesday, May 7. The Indian response to this aggression continued on the second and third days, and a ceasefire was declared on the fourth day, ie., May 10.

The country's political and military leadership adopted a principled stance of not tolerating any terrorist activity on Indian soil and demonstrated its commitment to giving a fitting reply to any such offensive, further supported by its diplomatic outreach.

However, another pillar of any functioning democracy-the media, particularly electronic media - displayed its immaturity by broadcasting often inaccurate and speculative information, in addition to indulging in completely unnecessary analyses, sometimes bordering on sowing seeds of religious animosity.

India's electronic and social media reported the situation according to their own narratives, despite a government circular instructing outlets not to air sensational or unconfirmed news.

In the latest episode, Indian TV channels-having now created a new ecosystem of reporting, devoid of traditional journalistic standards-chose to over-report India's military success. They were aided by a plethora of so-called defence and strategic affairs experts who, while offering insights or analyses, often injected their own biased and sensationalist interpretations of unfolding events.

Following suit, social media-where every layperson poses as an expert - further distorted the narrative by circulating unconfirmed and largely false information. One such issue widely discussed across TV channels, social media platforms, and even some newspapers was: which countries would support whom in the event of war, particularly which "Islamic" nations might support Pakistan in a conflict between two nuclear powers.