Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist September 2019 | Page 48

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their plans. China’s disgruntlement stems from the fact that
Ladakh becoming a UT weakens their false, incremental
claims in that region, besides weakening Pakistan’s proxy
to keep Indians engaged on their behalf. Pakistan has been
waging hybrid war with a large number of terrorists already
infiltrated, along with separatists instigating violence, coupled
with conventional fire at LoC, in last few decades, resulting
in more than 42000 deaths. Its efforts to re-ignite hybrid war
post abrogation of Article 370 have not met much success,
because of heavy deployment and alertness of Indian security
forces and restrictions on mobile and internet.
Pakistan’s irrational actions like lowering of diplomatic
relations with India, scrapping trade ties, stopping rail
communication and blocking air routes have been to its
disadvantage. Pakistan and China went through a diplomatic
offensive by approaching UNSC for an informal meeting,
which also yielded no results as the world community did
not find it worthwhile to even issue
any joint statement. On sidelines of G7
Summit, Prime Minister Modi while
talking to President Trump ruled out any
mediation efforts by any other country,
which Pakistan was vehemently trying.
This has put to rest all diplomatic efforts
of Pakistan for internationalisation or
mediation of Kashmir Issue. Enhanced
military deployment including SSG
and artillery along LoC is part of
escalating the hybrid war. Large scale
attempts of infiltration of terrorists
including underwater operators is to
create fear psychosis amongst people
of Kashmir, especially their erstwhile
sympathisers not to change sides and
be helpful in commencing terror actions
in Kashmir as and when the restrictions
on communication means are lifted by
India. China seems to be signalling moral and material support
to Pakistan through MoUs for defence capacity building and
cooperation during the visit of Deputy Chairman of its Central
Military Commission, which seems to be more of optics as
China already accounts for more than 70 percent of import of
military hardware to Pakistan. After UNSC embarrassment
China has been relatively quiet on propaganda or rhetoric.
Information Warfare by Pakistan
Pakistan has enhanced the dimension of warfare by
graduating to all-out ‘Information Warfare’ (IW), which
encompasses propaganda, fake news, threatening statements,
rhetoric, manipulating social media and invisible cyber
warfare. To combat this warfare it is necessary to understand
the strategy of Pakistan regarding the application of IW.
Their first narrative is to give religious colour to propaganda
campaign, falsely projecting it as Hindu encroachment
on Muslim rights, and restrictions on internet and mobile,
(which is the lifeline of its terror networking, propaganda
campaign and terror strikes) as atrocities on Muslims. The
aim is to garner the support of Muslims globally including
Indian Muslims to stand up for supporting terror in the garb
of Jihad to prevent falsely claimed atrocities on Muslims.
Unfortunately for them, except for members of their terror
industry and their sympathisers, not very many have bought
this narrative. The second narrative is posing fake Indian
threat from India (Although India has no intention of any
war with Pakistan, except that it intends respond offensively
to any threat posed by Pakistan, including terror attacks),
posing helplessness, repeatedly threatening the world of
its nuclear status and it’s irrationality to get into nuclear
exchange, blackmailing world community to intervene and
save the situation. The third narrative
is to remind US, China and India of its
terror potential, blackmail the US for its
need to quit Afghanistan in exchange
of leverage on Taliban (if any?) and
blackmail China for protecting its
economic interests and workers in
the country and doing the dirty job
of containing Indian forces on their
behalf. Imran Khan’s acceptance of
approximately 40,000 terrorists on his
soil and threat to unleash his strategic
assets (terrorists) for Pulwama type
actions does not deter India, which
anticipated such actions in its strategic
calculation.
Pakistan’s targets for information
warfare are different for each type of
narrative. For religious agenda it is
targeting people of Kashmir valley,
people of Pakistan, terror groups, Muslim diaspora, global
community of Muslims (like planned processions in the UK),
Khalistan terrorists and sympathisers (to exploit another
fake narrative of alleging suppression of minorities under
Hindu regime). It is also targeting some disgruntled elements
in India including political opponents/aspirants trying to
fish in troubled water by following a narrative against the
national mandate to score some petty political gains. The
methodologies adopted for IW ranges from management
of information and communication technology (ICT),
psychological operations, electronic warfare, misinformation
campaigns, information attacks and manipulating public
perception through social media. Mobile, internet and radio
transmissions are fast modes of connectivity being used.
Structured television programs are also being made use of
48 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 9 • September 2019, Noida