While Pakistan and India are skirmishing on the border, Islamabad has set up a high level committee to formulate a sustainable policy in order to highlight the Kashmir issue globally. That is only to be expected. But what is pernicious is that Pakistan claims to be reaching out to Indians who are opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s extremist policies. A committee of senior officials from the ministries of defence, interior and information, military operations directorate, the ISI and intelligence bureau has been set up under foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudry. Another committee to prepare fact sheets to counter Indian propaganda and design a media strategy to highlight the Kashmiri freedom struggle as Pakistanis call it has also been made operational. This committee also represents persons from defence, foreign affairs, IT as well as the military operations directorate, ISI and IB.
It is understandable that such action is triggered because of Pakistan’s diplomatic isolation which led to the abandonment of the SAARC summit in Islamabad. Pakistan is doing its best to step up propaganda against India. It is naturally spreading disinformation highlighting Indian interference in its internal affairs and support to subversive activities in Pakistan apart from human rights violations in Kashmir. Narendra Modi is however doing his best to smooth ruffled feathers in bilateral relations. What is meant by his extremist policy is not clear. If it is supposed to be jingoistic Hindutva, the Prime Minister is known to be taking every possible step to contain it. It is dangerous that Pakistani leaders claim to be trying to woo Indians who are opposed to Modi’s policies. It is not known whether there are such Indians to reckon with. Pakistan is possibly merely indulging in empty rhetoric. However, it has to be admitted that the ISI and the Indian Mujahideen have sometimes done great damage to the Indian polity.