From Propaganda to False Flags
Publishing date: 03 August 2024
Published in: The Nation
Without much ado, India has slowly but surely transformed into a state embracing Hindutva, at the cost of shredding secularism. The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in 2014 marked a turning point in this journey. The party’s Hindu nationalist ideology, rooted in the principles of Hindutva, has gradually permeated every aspect of Indian society –including its institutions, policy-making circles, and even the military.
The government’s policies have also reflected this shift towards Hindutva. The passage of laws like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has been seen as a blatant attempt to marginalize and exclude minorities, particularly Muslims. The proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will prove to be the last nail in the coffin –in alienating religious minorities. The suppression of dissent and the targeting of activists and intellectuals who question the government’s policies have become commonplace.
The Indian Army has been increasingly saffronized, with Hindu religious symbols and rituals becoming an integral part of military practices. The close relationship between military officers and extremist outfits, like Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Mahasabha, isn’t surprising which has often resulted in the enactment of policies that have actively diminished Muslim representation in the Indian armed forces. According to one estimate, soon after partition, Muslims comprised between 30 and 36 percent of the Indian Army, it has decreased to 2 percent now. This is thanks to the bigoted officers and their Hindu masters who stopped at nothing to discredit and question the loyalty of Muslim officers in the military.
However, the buck doesn’t stop here as the intelligence agencies, too, have been compromised, with allegations of targeting minorities and political opponents. To facilitate smooth conduct of the saffronization business of Hindutva-inspired zealots who happen to be at the helm of power.
The education system has also been infiltrated; with the promotion of Hindu nationalist ideology, the government has undertaken the initiative to distort history glorify Hindu rulers and demonize the Muslim ones. The media, too, has been co-opted, with many outlets peddling propaganda and hate speech against minorities.
As a result, India’s secular fabric is under threat like never before. The country’s minorities, particularly Muslims, are living in fear, with many feeling like second-class citizens. The international community has taken notice, with many countries and organizations expressing concern over India’s human rights record and its slide towards authoritarianism.
India is effectuating its vitriolic and contemptuous campaign by constructing a narrative declaring Pakistan a hotbed of violence in the region. However, in doing so the Indian government itself is endangering the stability of the South Asian region. The diversity of religions and cultures has sparked a need for nation-building in India. To achieve this goal, far-right groups like RSS/VHP have created a common enemy to unite the population. False flag operations serve this purpose, fueling nationalism and distracting attention from the grave internal issues –that might serve as an effective catalyst for the divisive forces hell-bent on disintegrating India.
In a series of incidents, Pakistan has frequently foiled and exposed India’s false flag operations aimed at maligning the former. For instance, in January 2023, Pakistan uncovered a planned operation by the Indian Army and police in the Poonch sector of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), even identifying the primary suspect –Bashir, and his associates. Similar attempts were made in April 2023, ahead of the G20 summit, and again on May 21, September 14, and October 28, 2023, in Poonch, Islamabad district, and Neelam districts, respectively. Each time, India blamed Pakistan, but the truth was revealed soon enough –exonerating Pakistan.
Notably, on October 5, 2023, Indian media falsely accused Pakistan of supporting an attack in Rajouri, when in fact, an Indian Major had killed five Indian soldiers by firing. These incidents demonstrate India’s consistent attempts to orchestrate false flag operations and blame Pakistan for its own security failures.
The situation in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IIoK) continues to deteriorate, with alarming reports of human rights abuses and war crimes committed by Indian forces. Approximately 118 army units and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have been implicated in these atrocities, which include torture, enforced disappearance, killing, and rape. The victims are civilians, including women and children, who are caught in the crossfire of India’s brutal suppression of the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination.
India’s abrogation of Article 370 and 35A has been followed by gross human rights abuses, including the arrest of Kashmiris, restrictions on their free movement and frequent extra-judicial executions by Indian military hitmen. These actions have created a climate of fear and repression. The situation has been further exacerbated by India’s failure to bring normalcy to the region. In the Kashmir valley alone, around 40% of the Indian troops targeted in Jammu and Kashmir were reportedly killed –causing significant damage and inevitable psychological problems to the military personnel stationed there.
However, despite the mounting evidence of these heinous crimes, the Indian government has taken no concrete steps to address the situation or hold the perpetrators accountable. Instead, the authorities have continued to perpetuate a culture of impunity, further emboldening the security forces to commit more abuses.
India’s tendency to blame Pakistan for every issue is a deliberate attempt to distract from its own failures and shortcomings. By pointing fingers at Pakistan, India aims to elicit jingoistic sentiments among its population, creating a false narrative that Pakistan is the sole reason for India’s problems. This strategy is used to divert attention from India’s internal issues, such as poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses. For instance, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack were both blamed on Pakistan, but investigations have revealed that these attacks were actually carried out by Indian forces after secret collusion with Hindu extremist groups.
As per recent reports, ever since Modi’s re-election, religious-inspired lynchings have surged, with six cases reported in June alone. All of it happened despite hopes that a weaker majority would reduce extremism; the BJP’s reliance on coalition partners has not led to a decrease in violence. Political analysts attribute this to the government’s emboldening of Hindu nationalist groups, creating an atmosphere where mobs feel unrestrained and the police become mere spectators. The opposition’s silence on the issue has been criticized, with only the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemning the attacks.
Unfortunately, Indian media has repeatedly played a crucial role in perpetuating this false narrative, often spreading anti-Pakistan propaganda to create a sense of nationalism and unity among Indians. However, this comes at the cost of creating hatred and hostility towards Pakistan. The Kashmir unrest, for example, is a result of India’s own human rights abuses and suppression of Kashmiri rights, but India blames Pakistan for fueling the unrest. This blame game is a convenient way for India to shirk responsibility for its own actions and to divert attention from its internal issues –befooling the Indian masses.