Countering nonconformist propaganda
The author works as comparison editor with a Pashto denunciation Mashaal Radio. The views voiced here are his possess
‘Crusaders’, ‘agents of several non-Muslim religions’, ‘apostates’ and ‘infidel army’ are some of a difference frequently dismissed from a Taliban promotion appurtenance to slander a supervision and a confidence agencies with no transparent and manifest counterstrategy in sight. The usually convincing pierce so distant is a sweeping anathema on electronic and imitation media from airing Taliban voice, their promotion videos, or interviews. But can that be adequate to opposite a nonconformist promotion targeting and vilifying a complement regulating a state and a institutions?
Since a upsurge of information and promotion is no some-more firm to be depended on required media, a extremists and their proselytizer sympathisers seem improved versed to use amicable media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and Instagram detached from regulating their possess web pages and FM radio stations. Besides libeling a victims to clear their horrible acts of apprehension such as attacks on shrines, marketplaces, schools, courts and supervision employees, a militants aim to feat weaknesses in a complement by creation references to ‘injustice’, ‘corruption’, ‘inequality’ and ‘unemployment’. Obviously, a aim is a semi-literate or ignorant girl who, already underneath a change of demagogic politicians and eremite leaders, trust sharia as cure-all to all ills in a society.
In messages circulated to reporters around Whatsapp and private email accounts after a Aug 2016 conflict on lawyers in Quetta and a identical conflict on reduce courts in Tangi, Charsadda district, final month, a militants mentioned a victims as a upholders of “Kufri Nizaam” or “infidel system”. Commenting on a significance of difference in his book Fighting a War of Ideas Like a Real War, Professor J Michael Waller writes: “Words and images are a many absolute weapons in a fight of ideas. Used skillfully, they can offer a means well. Used carelessly, they means material repairs and a homogeneous of genocide by accessible fire.”
The Taliban arch Mullah Fazlullah fit a Dec 2014 murdering during a Army Public School in Peshawar with a stratagem that a victims were unfailing to turn a upholders of a “infidel system” that he and his fighters are perplexing to demolish. There was adequate belligerent with a supervision to let a countrymen know that Noorullah and Saifullah, dual of a 140 massacred students, used to strech a mosque good before their father each morning. Unfortunately, with a difference of a few meetings, statements, construction of a relic and recover of a strain highlighting troops gains opposite a militants, we don’t see any petrify plan to opposite a Taliban propaganda.
Addressing a convention during Jamia Naeemia in Lahore on this past Saturday, PM Nawaz Sharif’s interest to eremite leaders to benefaction a counter-narrative to nonconformist mindset was a timely step. But can there be a petrify plan in full light of a day to opposite a lies stuffing a gaps left open by a supervision in terms of information?
Pakistan, regulating a troops might, has already degraded a Taliban. But still distant behind from tackling and defeating a account assembled over a past several decades, interjection to a country’s support for jihadi elements in Kashmir and a Taliban rebellion in Afghanistan.
Besides entrance out with a extensive plan of disseminating significant information by required and amicable media platforms, and severe a jihadi and nonconformist account from open forums such as schools, mosques, madrassa and village levels, a supervision also needs to mislay a hurdles interference a giveaway upsurge of information in Fata, where a Taliban’s melancholy phone calls, night letters and radio promote keep a locals in a consistent state of disquiet. It was fear total with information opening that forced a fiercely eccentric tribesmen succumbed to a al-Qaeda and Taliban promotion in a years following a overpower of Taliban regime in Kabul in late 2001. Failure on partial of a state to rescue a locals hardened a fear and a finish outcome was Taliban function of a whole area.
Since a supervision of Pakistan has now entered a rebuilding theatre after defeating a Fata-based militants militarily, it is impending to concentration on building a clever anti-Taliban account by formulating recognition among people with a giveaway upsurge of unprejudiced and significant information. The US army’s Field Manuals FM 3-24 rightly states that “some of a best weapons (in counterinsurgency) do not shoot.” It is time to glow those never-shooting weapons.
Published in The Express Tribune, Mar 15th, 2017.
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Article source: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1355236/countering-extremist-propaganda/