Pakistan’s Media-Made Victory

While Indian media is still ambivalent on the Indo-Pak joint statement, its Pakistan counterpart has lapsed comfortably into self-congratulation.

While the Indian media is still undecided on how to interpret the Indo-Pak joint statement in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Pakistani papers are not so ambivalent. Headlines here were of the form— ‘Hoping for a mile from Pakistan, India gives more than an inch’ (The Indian Express), ‘ Lost in translation—India, Pak sign same statement, read it differently, expect little progress’ (Hindustan Times) and even ‘PM Sells Out to Pakistan’ (Mail Today), but the mood in Pakistan was self-congratulatory.

Pakistan’s leading English paper, Dawn, ran a front page headline: ‘India Agrees to Delink Talks from Terror Fight’. The copy said, ‘In a major retreat from its hardline position on resumption of peace talks, India agreed to delink ‘Composite Dialogue’ from action against terrorism and hold talks with Pakistan on all outstanding issues… Pakistani officials here described this as a major diplomatic success…’ Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani got bouquets for getting Balochistan in the statement. ‘Gilani raises Indian hand in Baluchistan’ ran the Pakistan Observer’s headline. The News reported, ‘With the inclusion of Balochistan in the joint statement, the observers are expressing the view that the situation in Pakistan’s largest province has been internationalised.’

About The Author

Shubhangi Swarup