As India and Pakistan bridge the trust deficit,why does the media remain so off-message?
A press conference addressed jointly by the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan,Ranjan Mathai and Jalil Abbas Jilani,descended into an arena of accusation and hostility. The media took it upon itself to attack,ignoring the stated boundaries of the talks and the painfully constructed equilibrium of the last few years. Both Mathai and Jilani were entirely reasonable,and it was clear that the longstanding disputes between the two nations were off the agenda,apart from a discussion of confidence-building measures. This has been a deliberate decision. After ties between India and Pakistan
However,the media was having none of this diplomatic slo-mo affair. It wanted the Abu Jundal question answered to its satisfaction,and kept returning to it despite Jilanis statement that terrorism was a common threat to both India and Pakistan… If we blame each other like this,it will have no benefit. Worse,the questions at the press conference assumed a hostile us-and-them tone we Indians wronged by you Pakistanis.
This media belligerence is markedly at odds with the larger bilateral endeavour,and changed circumstances. India and Pakistan do not harp on the core issue,be it defined as Kashmir or terrorism. Both have inched towards greater economic engagement. Pakistans civilian administration deserves credit for investing in these moves,and managing the army to make this cooperation possible. What then does the media think it is achieving by savaging a couple of hapless diplomats?