The creation of a state and establishment of a political system is the outcome of the decades-long struggle, deliberations, and traditions of a nation and political leadership. Pakistan is not the outcome of any abrupt decision or miracle. It came into being, survived, and flourished on the world map due to the struggle of our forefathers, the vision of political and military leaders, and the collective effort of the nation. Pakistan cannot give in to social media wars coupled with political expediency. All political philosophies revolve around two things, the security of the state and the welfare of its citizens. There is no third purpose of any state. The ongoing political instability in Pakistan is a serious issue detrimental to the state’s integrity. The institution responsible for the defence of the country is facing propaganda at the hands of its political leadership and citizens are exposed to severe inflation thus the state and its citizens are vulnerable. The Pakistani nation and its armed forces are resilient and capable to thwart any misadventure from outside, but internal unrest is hazardous due to many reasons. Public opinion is the foundation of a strong nation-state. Without public support, no state or its institution can survive for a longer duration. The digital world has created a new kind of threat for countries. Any state can influence the public mind of an adversary. It can exploit the existing fissures of any other nation without even crossing the border. Pakistan is presently susceptible to the virtual threat which demands a fair assessment and remedial measures by all stakeholders and even the public. Probably, it is the first time that a threat has erupted in the public domain thus it requires public involvement and participation to counter the threat. The public needs to be aware of propaganda unleashed against the state and its institutions. It requires a rationale in public understanding and remedial measures of sources that are feeding the wrong information to the nation, may it be computers or human beings. It is no exaggeration that the evaluation of the threat level is high because the educated class has also been trapped in the propaganda. This mistrust of the public in state institutions and more trust in forces of coercion is driving an extreme imbalance between state and security needs.
We need to evaluate the information pattern, content creation, and dissemination. Content appearing on social media is an extension of political communication being established by the political leadership. Additional content being created on social media in various forms evokes hatred, disharmony, impatience, and anger among the masses. Agenda setting study of mass communication has established that media agenda and public agenda have strong salience. An individual makes their opinion based upon information reaching him/ her via tv, newspapers, and digital platforms. Political communication is the most effective way of persuasion, and it is because of that, that political leaders rely on political rhetoric and assertions. The criticism of the military establishment is an extension of the same strategy. This criticism aims for two objectives; to strengthen the confirmation bias of the masses which has already been manufactured through propaganda by social media and second, to bring military institutions under pressure for vested interests. Any other meaning of this criticism is not only out of context but absurd and misleading.
The whole nation is witnessing the ongoing political jigsaw puzzle and media frenzy on an appointment in the coming month. It is yet another dichotomy between action and words. The argument is, why should political leaders publicly criticise an office holder, which otherwise they behold so high? This dichotomy is misleading public opinion. Forces from abroad are exploiting the situation and further fuelling the existing fissures in society. During the last twenty years, security forces have fought against terrorism, won the war, and saved the country and yet were criticised by a faction of politics, media, and academia. It is because the threat of terrorism was not securitized which resulted in chaos in society. Politicians resort to political communication without considering the need for the state’s security and public interest. Rather they hit public sentiments to persuade them and ignite emotions that are mostly against opponents and institutions. Pakistan’s politics, media talks, and social media discussions are playing contradictory narratives; igniting public sentiment, misleading the common man on sensitive issues, and propagating against state institutions through assertions and metaphors. We must never forget the Indian Chronicles which were unearthed in 2020 by EU InfoLab. It is an Indian propaganda network that is spreading fake news in the world, particularly influencing the public mind in Pakistan, not only through open-source media but hidden networks. According to research, during the last 22 years, New York Times published 29000 articles discussing Pakistan and all articles were aimed to coerce Pakistan to align its policies in Afghanistan with US interests. The content of these articles was reproduced in the national press which influenced the masses. It is not a mistake or miscalculation but a deliberate effort to keep targeting institutions and make them controversial in the public domain. Our political system has given away the tradition to solve issues through dialogue because the resolution of issues through mutual consensus requires power sharing which our political elite cannot afford or we can say do not desire. The situation demands a crash review of actions and reactions by all stakeholders. Politics is all about gaining power but it must never compromise the state’s integrity and public interest. Masses have a right to truth and make their opinion based upon that information. Falsification and assertions mislead the public and there is no bigger sin than misleading the people of your own country.