New Delhi: As India prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5, a different kind of planning is going on across the border.
The Pakistan government, in close coordination with its infamous spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has planned a series of events in the run up to August 5 to portray India in poor light in front of the international media, while propagating itself as the ‘messiah’ of the Kashmiris.
Parts of the elaborate plans have already begun with the PR division organising “visit of foreign media to the Line of Control”. The “objective”, as stated by its own official document, is to portray that there is “no free movement/reporting in India occupied Kashmir”.
On August 4, just a day before the D-day, ISI’s PR division in Pakistan occupied Kashmir will organise a visit of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to highlight that free movement is supposedly allowed on the Pakistan side of Kashmir, while there are alleged “restrictions” on the indian side of the Valley.
Pakistan is planning to go full throttle on August 5, which it will observe as a “black day” — a day when India ensured that Jammu and Kashmir joins the mainstream of development.
The day, according to the document, will start with a tweet by the Director General of ISPR (ISI’s PR wing) expressing support for Kashmiris “in their just struggle to the very end”.
The Imran Khan government’s I&B Ministry has been tasked to bring out special supplements in all major Urdu and English dailies while the PR division has been asked to ensure that all Paksitani news channel logos turn black for the day.
All channels in Pakistan have been directed to air special programmes on what it calls “just struggle against illegal Indian occupation”. Even a special song has been commissioned by the Production Division on the “resilience” of Kashmiris.
Kashmiri politicians, activists and international organisations critical of India will be given a royal treatment by Pakistan on August 5 this year.
Faced with the hard reality of Kashmiris in India choosing economic prosperity to violence, a rattled Imran Khan will head to Muzaffarabad on that day and will address the PoK legislative Assembly on the “solidarity with Kashmir’s struggle of self-determination” which will be beamed live.
Also, pamphlets will be distributed on what it calls “justice delayed” regarding the UN resolution on J&K.
The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ISI will also submit a “white paper” to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, making a case for plebiscite.
Packages are also planned to be made of international media reports critical of India and so are flag rallies.
To give it an international colour, all the embassies of Pakistan have been told to hold functions and rallies across the globe. The diktat has come from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry and ISI together.
Pakistan is also pinning its hope on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to issue anti-India statements, and on the Turkish President, Malaysian PM and Chinese foreign office to tweet content that may add a pinch of legitimacy to Pakistan’s stand.
The PR department is also reportedly planning to make a package of sound bytes and statements of Indian politicians criticising India. It is mentioned in the document as “Criticism of Indian Government by Indian political leaders”.
