At the moment tensions between India and Pakistan are on the rise. So is the number of lies with generous courtesy from so called social media. Every minute social media is coming up with a number of fake stories. But still there are takers for such false claims and they unknowingly becoming part of a propaganda war between the two countries. Even powerful individuals are no exception, rather than relying on their own government’s version, they are driven by false facts and figures provided by social media.
No one knows when the Indian Government claimed to have killed over 350 terrorists in Balakot or for that matter when Pakistan officially denied India’s claim. But the Indian political circle even after a fortnight is debating over number of deaths at Balakot. Sometimes the casualty figure is touching the sky, the next moment it is being limited to a few trees, couple of abandoned huts and only one injury. In the name of revealing the truth, all these people are spreading false, one-sided and cooked up information which has created panic and uncertainty in this sub continent.
Clearly, the ongoing number war is weakening the mission. The mission was to deliver a message to the terrorists that no matter where they hide, they are not safe. It was done after receiving specific information that terrorist camps at the Indo-Pak border were shifted to interiors of Pakistan to avoid a possible Indian attack. Balakot is just one of many places which the terrorists thought safe. But brave pilots of Indian Air Force have destroyed their safe havens. The matter could have ended there, however some people in their own wisdom tried to project different figures about the number of causalities. The fight over figures did not end even after Indian Air Chief categorically denied to quote a figure and quite logically so. It is impossible to assess damage on the ground while conducting air raids. In such raids, the pilots are given some targets and the success or failure of the strike solely depend on how many targets were hit. Number of dead bodies does not determine success.
On the other hand, after being identified as a breeding ground of terror, Pakistan is now posing itself as a country which is all for peace. Releasing captured Indian pilot Abhinandan is a step towards the right direction, but there are many more miles to go. Everyone knows Pakistan is being forced to take steps against terror in the fear being cornered. Besides, it is a high possibility that foreign aid will dry up. But to hide the unpalatable truth, a chorus is being orchestrated within Pakistan to confer Noble Peace Prize to its Prime Minister Imran Khan, a person who is yet to condemn the Pulwama attack; who till the other day was vowing to teach India a lesson; his army is continuing to shell India from across the border.
Altogether, it is a strange situation where peace has taken the back seat and war-mongers are deciding the fate of crores of people living in the subcontinent. Sermons on peace are given by those, who make a livelihood by selling weapons to the countries. Truth, truth and only truth can save us from this hell.
