RIGHT
ANGLE
India Can't Endure
Pain
What the ISI operative told his superior about the enemy's mind
By
Swapan Dasgupta
It
is with a sense of fulfilment and intense satisfaction that I present
this year's report on behalf of the psychological warfare unit. When I
last reported, our country was just coming to terms with the Nawaz Sharif
government's betrayal in Kargil. The mood in Pakistan was despondent and
confused while India was euphoric. However, we were not wrong in suggesting
this exuberance was irrational and necessarily short-lived. Judging from
this year's so-called Vijay Diwas, the so-called victory in Kargil has
been forgotten. The Indian middle class is too busy making money and gloating
over American testimonials of its IT achievements to divert its mind to
unpleasant things like bloodshed. Kargil was an aberration; the Kandahar
hijacking epitomised India's natural instincts. The vegetarian Brahminical
mind has no history of sustained triumphalism; unlike Pakistan, its instincts
are feeble.
Our unit
has identified its priority as further weakening the Indian resolve. We
believe this task is of utmost importance in furthering Pakistan's long-term
strategic interests. Despite what some hotheads in the bazaars say, India
is too big to take on militarily. Economically, it has deep pockets, is
appealing to the West as a market and is in a different league from Pakistan.
Conventional subterfuge will not work. India's biggest liability is its
lack of endurance. The Hindu cannot stomach pain and it is this vulnerability
we must carefully target.
The Indian
intelligentsia has come to be our biggest ally. During the Kargil conflict,
the seminar circuits of Delhi reverberated with talk of India's "intelligence
failure" and overshadowed all those intent on playing up "Pakistani
aggression". During the Kandahar hijacking, the plight of the hostages
was successfully used to pressure the Indian Government into speedy release
of our comrades in prison. Again, during the Christian controversy, many
Indian notables rubbished the Government bid to blame our Ops team for
the blasts. I must say I feel a bit sorry for Mr Advani.
Although
many in this organisation will unnecessarily claim credit for this turnaround,
particularly at a time the West has developed a dread of militant Islam,
we should actually be indebted to the NGOs, think tanks and media organisations
of Pakistan. The previous Sharif regime had antagonised these sections
to such an extent that they were both unable and unwilling to act in the
best interests of Pakistan. Under General Musharraf, they are far more
willing to play a proactive role in softening Indian opinion towards Pakistan.
Some departmental accountants may feel that we have been excessively generous
in our invitations and hospitality policy towards Indians. Yes, we have.
But the results speak for themselves. The women's delegation, the Jang
seminar and repeated invitations to our established friends using NGO
cover have paid handsome dividends. There is now a far greater appreciation
and articulation of our position on Kashmir than before. Just a year after
Kargil that is a stupendous achievement.
Particularly
significant is our inroads into the influential English-language media
in India. There are Pakistan-friendly editors in place in the major publications
and TV stations. In fact, I am reliably informed that two Indian TV personalities
have been reprimanded by the Government for giving too much exposure to
our high commissioner! The change of mood didn't happen by chance. It
took a lot of hard work and perseverance.
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