When we hear the word ‘media’, suddenly our mind discerns the term as ‘the fourth pillar of the Constitution’. For long we have been watching news channels exaggerate almost every issue for their TRPs. The Pulwama attack where 42 of our brave soldiers were martyred and innumerable personnel wounded, India’s subsequent surgical strike on Pakistan, and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was unfortunately captured by the Pakistan armed forces and later released – are all recent developments that made our media go berserk.
Media channels exaggerated these events as we heard many of them say “it’s time for war” – as if they were the ones going to the battlefield to destroy Pakistan. They don’t care about the message they disseminate and propel among the common public who believes whatever media says to be true. Manipulation of mind through media is severely affecting people’s thought process. What we tend to overlook is that war is not a viable option for either country as no one loses or wins – it will only destroy the countries.
War only brings devastation. As responsible humans, we should not be happy when such brutality takes place – civilians and soldiers getting killed on either side is not a cause for celebration. What matters is our humanity and it seems to be in a state of existential crisis – at least the giddy news anchors reporting the killings on the other side prove this. Not just Indian media but many Pakistani news channels are also successfully evoking the same hatred for India among its masses through their reportage.
Nations can opt for war and it is not a big deal for any powerful country, but nations can’t control the outcome because they would no longer be controlling the situation and then war itself becomes your enemy – destroying the economy and people.
This tense situation reminds me of a wonderful quote by Martin Luther, who said, “We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” We should also think and act like brothers who can help each other in need – otherwise the future of both the countries would be in jeopardy. A form of negotiation between the two countries on every issue before it gets blazed up is imperative.