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Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
The most dangerous weapon in South Asia is not nuclear
When India launched Operation Sindoor and Pakistan replied with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, the world braced for escalation. Analysts held their breath. Twitter exploded. The Line of Control – that jagged scar between two unfinished imaginations of nationhood – lit up again. But if you think what happened earlier this month was merely a military exchange, you've missed the real story. This was a war, yes, but not just of missiles. It was a war of narratives, orchestrated in headlines, hashtags, and nightly newsrooms. The battlefield was the media. The ammunition was discourse. And the casualties were nuance, complexity, and truth. What we witnessed was the culmination of what scholars call discursive warfare — the deliberate construction of identity, legitimacy, and power through language. In the hands of Indian and Pakistani media, every act of violence was scripted, every image curated, every casualty politicised. This wasn't coverage. It was choreography. On May 6, India struck first. Or, as Indian media framed it, India defended first. Operation Sindoor was announced with theatrical pomp. Twenty-four strikes in twenty-five minutes. Nine 'terror hubs' destroyed. Zero civilian casualties. The villains — Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, 'terror factories' across Bahawalpur and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan – were said to be reduced to dust. The headlines were triumphalist: 'Surgical Strikes 2.0', 'The Roar of Indian Forces Reaches Rawalpindi', 'Justice Delivered'. Government spokespeople called it a 'proportionate response' to the Pahalgam massacre that had left 26 Indian tourists dead. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared: 'They attacked India's forehead, we wounded their chest'. Cinematic? Absolutely. Deliberate? Even more so. Indian media constructed a national identity of moral power: a state forced into action, responding not with rage but with restraint, armed not just with BrahMos missiles but with dharma – righteous duty and moral order. The enemy wasn't Pakistan, the narrative insisted — it was terror. And who could object to that? This is the genius of framing. Constructivist theory tells us that states act based on identities, not just interests. And identity is forged through language. In India's case, the media crafted a story where military might was tethered to moral clarity. The strikes weren't aggression — they were catharsis. They weren't war — they were therapy. But here's the thing: therapy for whom? Three days later, Pakistan struck back. Operation Bunyan Marsoos — Arabic for 'iron wall' — was declared. The name alone tells you everything. This wasn't just a retaliatory strike; it was a theological assertion, a national sermon. The enemy had dared to trespass. The response would be divine. Pakistani missiles reportedly rained down on Indian military sites: brigade headquarters, an S-400 system, and military installations in Punjab and Jammu. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proclaimed that Pakistan had 'avenged the 1971 war', in which it had capitulated and allowed Bangladesh to secede. That's not battlefield strategy. That's myth-making. The media in Pakistan amplified this narrative with patriotic zeal. Indian strikes were framed as war crimes, mosques hit, civilians killed. Photographs of rubble and blood were paired with captions about martyrdom. The response, by contrast, was precise, moral, and inevitable. Pakistan's national identity, as constructed in this moment, was one of righteous victimhood: we are peaceful, but provoked; restrained, but resolute. We do not seek war, but we do not fear it either. The symmetry is uncanny. Both states saw themselves as defenders, never aggressors. Both claimed moral superiority. Both insisted the enemy fired first. Both said they had no choice. The symmetry was also apparent in the constructed image of the enemy and the delcared victims. India portrayed Pakistan as a terror factory: duplicitous, rogue, a nuclear-armed spoiler addicted to jihad. Pakistani identity was reduced to its worst stereotype, deceptive and dangerous. Peace, in this worldview, is impossible because the Other is irrational. Pakistan, in turn, cast India as a fascist state: led by a majoritarian regime, obsessed with humiliation, eager to erase Muslims from history. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the aggressor. India was the occupier. Their strikes were framed not as counterterrorism but as religious war. In each case, the enemy wasn't just a threat. The enemy was an idea — and an idea cannot be reasoned with. This is the danger of media-driven identity construction. Once the Other becomes a caricature, dialogue dies. Diplomacy becomes weakness. Compromise becomes betrayal. And war becomes not just possible, but desirable. The image of the Other also determined who was considered a victim and who was not. While missiles flew, people died. Civilians in Kashmir, on both sides, were killed. Border villages were shelled. Religious sites damaged. Innocent people displaced. But these stories, the human stories, were buried beneath the rubble of rhetoric. In both countries, the media didn't mourn equally. Victims were grieved if they were ours. Theirs? Collateral. Or fabricated. Or forgotten. This selective mourning is a moral indictment. Because when we only care about our dead, we become numb to justice. And in that numbness, violence becomes easier the next time. What was at stake during the India-Pakistan confrontation wasn't just territory or tactical advantage. It was legitimacy. Both states needed to convince their own citizens, and the world, that they were on the right side of history. Indian media leaned on the global 'war on terror' frame. By targeting Pakistan-based militants, India positioned itself as a partner in global security. Sound familiar? It should. It's the same playbook used by the United States in Iraq and Israel in Gaza. Language like 'surgical', 'precision', and 'pre-emptive' doesn't just describe, it absolves. Meanwhile, Pakistan's media leaned on the moral weight of sovereignty. India's strikes were framed as an assault not just on land, but on izzat, honour. By invoking sacred spaces, by publicising civilian casualties, Pakistan constructed India not as a counterterrorist actor but as a bully and a blasphemer. This discursive tug-of-war extended even to facts. When India claimed to have killed 80 militants, Pakistan called it fiction. When Pakistan claimed to have shot down Indian jets, India called it propaganda. Each accused the other of misinformation. Each media ecosystem became a hall of mirrors, reflecting only what it wanted to see. The guns fell silent on May 13, thanks to a US-brokered ceasefire. Both governments claimed victory. Media outlets moved on. Cricket resumed. Hashtags faded. But what lingers is the story each side now tells about itself: We were right. They were wrong. We showed strength. They backed down. This is the story that will shape textbooks, elections, military budgets. It will inform the next standoff, the next skirmish, the next war. And until the story changes, nothing will. And it can change. Narratives constructed on competing truths, forged in newsrooms and battlefields, performed in rallies and funerals, are not eternal. Just as they were constructed, they can be deconstructed. And that can happen only if we start listening not to the loudest voice, but to the one we've learned to ignore. So the next time war drums beat, ask not just who fired first, but who spoke last. And ask what story that speech was trying to tell. Because in South Asia, the most dangerous weapon isn't nuclear. It's narrative. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Khaleej Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
India-Pakistan tensions: A history of war, conflict between South Asian neighbours
Long-running tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan soared Wednesday after New Delhi launched deadly strikes at Pakistani territory. The missiles killed at least eight people, according to Pakistan, which said it had begun retaliating in a major escalation between the South Asian neighbours. India accuses Pakistan of backing the deadliest attack in years on civilians in disputed Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 men were killed. Islamabad has rejected the charge. Both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut. Since the April attack, soldiers on each side have fired across the Line of Control, the de facto border in contested Kashmir, a heavily fortified zone of Himalayan outposts. The two sides have fought multiple conflicts, ranging from skirmishes to all-out war, since their bloody partition in 1947. 1947: Partition Two centuries of British rule ends on August 15, 1947, with the sub-continent divided into India and Pakistan. The poorly prepared partition unleashed bloodshed that killed possibly more than a million people and displaced 15 million others. Kashmir's monarch dithered on whether to submit to Indian or Pakistani rule. After the suppression of an uprising against his rule, Pakistan-backed militants attack. He sought India's help, precipitating an all-out war between the countries. A UN-backed, 770-kilometre (480-mile) ceasefire line in January 1949 divided Kashmir. 1965: Kashmir Pakistan launched a second war in August 1965 when it invaded contested Kashmir. Thousands were killed before a September ceasefire brokered by the Soviet Union and the United States. 1971: Bangladesh Pakistan deployed troops in 1971 to suppress an independence movement in what is now Bangladesh, which it had governed since 1947 as East Pakistan. An estimated three million people were killed in the nine-month conflict and millions fled into India. The conflict led to the creation of the independent nation of Bangladesh. 1989-90: Kashmir An uprising broke out in Kashmir in 1989 as grievances at Indian rule boiled over. Tens of thousands of soldiers, rebels and civilians were killed in the following decades. India accused Pakistan of funding the rebels and aiding their weapons training. 1999: Kargil Pakistan-backed militants seized Indian military posts in the icy heights of the Kargil mountains. Pakistan yielded after severe pressure from Washington, alarmed by intelligence reports showing Islamabad had deployed part of its nuclear arsenal nearer to the conflict. At least 1,000 people were killed over 10 weeks. 2019: Kashmir A suicide attack on a convoy of Indian security forces kills 40 in Pulwama. India sent fighter jets which carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory to target an alleged militant training camp.
Malay Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
In Pakistan's Chakothi, families emerge from bunkers as ceasefire holds — but few trust it will last
CHAKOTHI (Pakistan), May 12 — As an uneasy calm settled over villages on the Pakistan side of contested Kashmir on Sunday, families returned to their own beds but were sure to leave their bunkers stocked. More than 60 people were killed in four days of intense conflict between arch-rivals Pakistan and India before a US-brokered truce was announced on Saturday. At heart of the hostilities is Kashmir, a mountainous Muslim-majority region divided between the two countries but claimed in full by both, and where the heaviest casualties are often reported. On the Pakistan side of the heavily militarised de facto border, known as the Line of Control (LoC), families wearied by decades of sporadic firing began to return home — for now. 'I have absolutely no faith in India; I believe it will strike again. For people living in this area, it's crucial to build protective bunkers near their homes,' said Kala Khan, a resident of Chakothi which overlooks the Neelum River that separates the two sides and from where they can see Indian military posts. His eight-member family sheltered through the night and parts of the day under the 20-inch-thick concrete roofs of two bunkers. 'Whenever there was Indian shelling, I would take my family into it,' he said of the past few days. 'We've stored mattresses, flour, rice, other food supplies, and even some valuable belongings in there.' According to an administrative officer in the region, more than a thousand bunkers have been built along the LoC, around a third by the government, to protect civilians from Indian shelling. A resident rides a car with a goat as she returned to her hometown after Pakistan-India ceasefire at the frontier village of Chakothi. — AFP pic 'No guarantee' Pakistan and India have fought several wars over Kashmir, and India has long battled an insurgency on its side by militant groups fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing the militants, including an attack on tourists in April which sparked the latest conflict. Pakistan said it was not involved and called for an independent investigation. Limited firing overnight between Saturday and Sunday made some families hesitant to return to their homes on the LoC. In Chakothi, nestled among lush green mountains, surrounded by an abundance of walnut trees at the foothills, half of the 300 shops were closed and few people ventured onto the streets. 'I've been living on the LoC for 50 years. Ceasefires are announced, but after a few days the firing starts again,' said Muhammad Munir, a 53-year-old government employee in Chakothi. It is the poor who suffer most from the endless uncertainty and hunt for safety along the LoC, he said, adding: 'There's no guarantee that this latest ceasefire will hold — we're certain of that.' When clashes broke out, Kashif Minhas, 25, a construction worker in Chakothi, desperately searched for a vehicle to move his wife and three children away from the fighting. 'I had to walk several kilometres before finally getting one and moving my family,' he told AFP. 'In my view, the current ceasefire between India and Pakistan is just a formality. There's still a risk of renewed firing, and if it happens again, I'll move my family out once more.' A senior administrative officer stationed in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was struck by an Indian missile killing three people, told AFP there had been no reports of firing since Sunday morning. 'Serious doubts' In Indian-administered Kashmir, hundreds of thousands of people who had evacuated also began to cautiously return home after heavy Pakistani shelling — many expressing the same fears as on the Pakistani side. A market in the frontier village of Chakothi. — AFP pic The four-day conflict struck deep into both countries, reaching major cities for the first time in decades — with the majority of deaths in Pakistan, and almost all civilians. Chakothi taxi driver Muhammad Akhlaq said the ceasefire was 'no guarantee of lasting peace'. 'I have serious doubts about it because the core issue that fuels hostility between the two countries still remains unresolved — and that issue is Kashmir,' said the 56-year-old. — AFP
NDTV
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Comedian Bharti Singh Breaks Down After Backlash For Visiting Thailand During India-Pakistan Tensions
New Delhi: Comedian Bharti Singh was in Thailand when tensions between India and Pakistan were escalating last week following the Operation Sindoor. The Internet thrashed her as safety of her family, residing in Amritsar, was at risk during the India-Pakistan skirmishes along the Line Of Control (LOC). In a recent vlog, Bharti addressed the trolls and shared she's is Thailand for some work. At one point, she is seen breaking down into tears as she talks about the harsh comments she has received in these days. She began the video by informing the viewers that her family is in Amritsar and they are safe. "Yes, the city and the country is going through a turmoil. But my family is safe.... I have full trust in my country and the government... India is a very strong nation aur isse koi hilaa nahi sakta (nothing can shake its spirit)... When I read your comments, I don't get angry. I just feel aap log bahot bhole ho (I sometimes think that you people are very innocent)," she says in the video. Sharing about her work commitment, Bharti said, "I want to clarify to everyone I'm here for work and not for any holiday. We had a shoot for 10 days, and we had committed 3-4 months ago to this project. A lot of preparation has gone into it, and it is not professional to ditch someone at the last moment." Bharti also shared that she gets worried reading fake news online and calls her family twice or thrice a day. "I do get tense and cry a lot... And the harsh comments do affect me. I can't just ignore them because you people are a part of my family.... Once again, I want to say that I have trust in my country and my government. It is my family who is encouraging me to work amid the tough times, as the show must go on," she added. On May 7, India launched a retaliatory attack in response to the Pahalgam attack in the code name of Operation Sindoor. Following the Operation, tensions between the two countries escalated. However, India and Pakistan agreed for a ceasefire (May 10) after the United States intervened.
News.com.au
11-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Pakistan's Kashmiris return to homes, but keep bunkers stocked
As an uneasy calm settled over villages on the Pakistan side of contested Kashmir on Sunday, families returned to their own beds but were sure to leave their bunkers stocked. More than 60 people were killed in four days of intense conflict between arch-rivals Pakistan and India before a US-brokered truce was announced on Saturday. At heart of the hostilities is Kashmir, a mountainous Muslim-majority region divided between the two countries but claimed in full by both, and where the heaviest casualties are often reported. On the Pakistan side of the heavily militarised de facto border, known as the Line of Control (LoC), families wearied by decades of sporadic firing began to return home -- for now. "I have absolutely no faith in India; I believe it will strike again. For people living in this area, it's crucial to build protective bunkers near their homes," said Kala Khan, a resident of Chakothi which overlooks the Neelum River that separates the two sides and from where they can see Indian military posts. His eight-member family sheltered through the night and parts of the day under the 20-inch-thick concrete roofs of two bunkers. "Whenever there was Indian shelling, I would take my family into it," he said of the past few days. "We've stored mattresses, flour, rice, other food supplies, and even some valuable belongings in there." According to an administrative officer in the region, more than a thousand bunkers have been built along the LoC, around a third by the government, to protect civilians from Indian shelling. - 'No guarantee' - Pakistan and India have fought several wars over Kashmir, and India has long battled an insurgency on its side by militant groups fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing the militants, including an attack on tourists in April which sparked the latest conflict. Pakistan said it was not involved and called for an independent investigation. Limited firing overnight between Saturday and Sunday made some families hesitant to return to their homes on the LoC. In Chakothi, nestled among lush green mountains, surrounded by an abundance of walnut trees at the foothills, half of the 300 shops were closed and few people ventured onto the streets. "I've been living on the LoC for 50 years. Ceasefires are announced, but after a few days the firing starts again," said Muhammad Munir, a 53-year-old government employee in Chakothi. It is the poor who suffer most from the endless uncertainty and hunt for safety along the LoC, he said, adding: "There's no guarantee that this latest ceasefire will hold -- we're certain of that." When clashes broke out, Kashif Minhas, 25, a construction worker in Chakothi, desperately searched for a vehicle to move his wife and three children away from the fighting. "I had to walk several kilometres before finally getting one and moving my family," he told AFP. "In my view, the current ceasefire between India and Pakistan is just a formality. There's still a risk of renewed firing, and if it happens again, I'll move my family out once more." A senior administrative officer stationed in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was struck by an Indian missile killing three people, told AFP there had been no reports of firing since Sunday morning. - 'Serious doubts' - In Indian-administered Kashmir, hundreds of thousands of people who had evacuated also began to cautiously return home after heavy Pakistani shelling -- many expressing the same fears as on the Pakistani side. The four-day conflict struck deep into both countries, reaching major cities for the first time in decades -- with the majority of deaths in Pakistan, and almost all civilians. Chakothi taxi driver Muhammad Akhlaq said the ceasefire was "no guarantee of lasting peace". "I have serious doubts about it because the core issue that fuels hostility between the two countries still remains unresolved -- and that issue is Kashmir," said the 56-year-old.
