The picture of a three-year-old sitting on the blood-soaked body of his grandfather killed by terrorists in Sopore sent a chilling message about the fallout of terrorism on society. The worst came when Pakistanis and their agents in the rest of the world started using this image to spread lies and propaganda against the Indian forces. The reality is that Pakistan-backed terrorists were using the premises of a mosque to open fire on the CRPF party and a car in which the boy and his deceased grandfather were travelling. The terrorists had the advantage of knowing in advance about the incident and therefore they were prepared to take pictures for propaganda purposes. The fact is that the boy had to be rescued by security forces against the terrorists’ guns and reunited with his family.
Terrorists and their masters in Rawalpindi are desperate to create a major human rights situation in Kashmir and today’s propaganda by Pakistanis and their stooges living in far off lands is proof of their efforts. So, the Indian state has to revise its standard operating procedures for forces and other organs of the state on countering propaganda. In this era of the post-truth and information warfare, we have to work on this field. Though the truth must ultimately win yet at times the Pakistan side seems to be getting better of us in propaganda and perception creation. Maybe also because they engineer all the incidents and we have to respond and defend the rights of everyone.
The state needs to have a robust information strategy. The Information Department of J&K needs to be revamped and filled with dynamic information warriors who can speak with authority and conviction. So far, the department has not shown result or maybe its officers are not entrusted with such responsibilities as handling terrorism-related propaganda and psychological warfare launched by Pakistan on us in Kashmir. A robust anti-propaganda machinery is required at the helm to put Pakistan in a spot