On August 5th 2019, the Government of India abrogated most of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, revoking the special status and limited autonomy granted to the state of Jammu and Kashmir [J&K]. This was accompanied by reorganization of borders, communications lockdown, detention of local politicians, increased military presence and restrictions on the movement within the state.[1] While dispute over these facts is minimal, a survey of the media coverage of the event reveals conflicting perspectives emerging between three primary camps within the media – international and independent Indian media, mainstream Indian media, and Pakistani media.[2] The presence of these distinct camps adds to an escalating trend in diminished credibility of media sources across the globe. Additionally, the extensive singularity of perspectives within each camp indicates a failure to address alternative stances and their complexities.
The first signs of divergence became visible in the initial reporting of the abrogation and the reasons given for its enactment. Mainstream Indian media groups such as Zee Newsand Republichighlighted narratives heralded by those in power, i.e. PM Narendra Modi and his Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). These claimed that the “presence of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir had become a fertile ground for the creation of terrorists” since it gave Kashmiris a sense of alienation and allowed “cases of terrorism [to] go unchecked.”[3] They professed that the article’s removal would bring increased prosperity and that “the people of Jammu and Kashmir [had] been freed from shackles.”[4] The tone was evidently jubilant and the narrative claimed that the abrogation was delivering Kashmiris from great injustice. This alignment of the Indian mainstream media with the Modi government’s narrative arguably appears to be a continuation of the “armchair jingoism” and “hyper-nationalism” that it is frequently accused of.[5]
In line with this account, mainstream Indian media’s reports on post-abrogation J&K propagated that a sense of normalcy had returned to the area and refuted any claims of unrest. They highlighted factors such as normal traffic and the upcoming fruit-harvesting season to convey that life in the area was peaceful and that “no untoward incident…[had] taken place.”[6] Any rumours of unrest were explicitly refuted as a fabricated “campaign to spread misinformation.” [7] ‘Normalcy’ became a blanketing catchphrase in the majority of these reports.
Notably, left leaning mainstream media sources in India did try to include alternative perspectives, such as the opposition’s opinions and refutations of normalcy. The Hindureported that a fact-finding team had discovered that “boys as young as 14 or 15 are taken away, tortured,” and that there was “no normalcy in Kashmir.”[8] However, this article was followed-up the next day with the headline “There is normalcy in Kashmir, says Army chief,” accompanied by a repetitive narrative of “apples being harvested and trucks moving with them” to support these claims of peace.[9] Similarly, although the Times of India gave greater consideration to the opposition, allusions to disruption in Kashmir barely went beyond references to low school attendance.[10] Divergence from the established and nearly singular narrative was therefore rare and minimal. This behaviour as an unquestioning mouthpiece for Modi’s government, posed a particularly concerning threat to the long-standing tradition of political debate within the Indian populace.
The international media presented a vastly differing account, yet they too did not offer alternative perspectives. While initial reporting on the abrogation did mention the rationale of anti-terrorism and progress propagated by the BJP, it went on to focus on the larger context of the BJP as a Hindu-nationalist party, being simply motivated to fulfil its election promises to scrap 370. Importantly, in contrast to the Indian mainstream, international media platforms acknowledged the anti-abrogation reasoning that the purpose of this move was to “change the demographic character of the Muslim-majority region” and to also act as a “much-needed diversion for the government” to the economic slowdown facing India.[11] Similarly, in contrast with the Indian mainstream media’s focus on promises of prosperity, these news sources, particularly in the form of opinion pieces, focused primarily on the perspective that “abrogating [Article 370] risks destabilizing the region, engendering violence and further alienating Kashmiris.”[12] Therefore, the narrative of the international media questioned the anti-terrorism and future prosperity reasoning and identified grave potential consequences, which were left unaddressed by the Indian mainstream. It is also important to note, however, that this was a largely singular narrative focused almost entirely on anti-abrogation stances – with little or no consideration awarded to arguments in favour of abrogation. This singularity is not dissimilar to the Indian mainstream media’s own reciprocal failure to address anti-abrogation arguments, indicating negligence to actual complexities in both camps.
The coverage of the conditions during lockdown in Kashmir, however, present the most obvious contradictions between these two camps. International media outlets, such as Reutersreported that “police used tear gas and pellets to fight back at least 10,000 people protesting” in Srinagar, J&K’s summer capital.[13] Independent Indian media, battling the communications lockdown, supported this narrative with articles on the police’s indiscriminate use of pellets to suppress protesters and information on torture and unfair detention within the state.[14] The contradiction between this account of unrest and terror, and the peace and calm, being propagated by the Indian mainstream media, was so gaping that the latter began refuting the former as a complete fabrication.[15] It was argued by some news sources in India that international media outlets were biased towards Pakistan.[16] Regardless, the international media focused on an account of the conditions in Kashmir during the lockdown that went entirely unaddressed in the Indian mainstream media, while completely refuting the narrative that normalcy had returned to Jammu and Kashmir.
The final alternative narrative that emerged within this coverage was that of the Pakistani media. Contrasting with the Indian news’ narrative of delivering Kashmiris from injustice, Pakistani coverage focused on highlighting the voices of greatest opposition to the abrogation. These included Pakistani government officials, who professed a present “threat of genocide and ethnic cleansing” and the former Indian Chief Minister of Kashmir, who being placed in house arrest, condemned the revocation.[17] These voices of opposition referred to the abrogation as an occupation: an apparent act of colonialism by the Indian government. Coverage of the lockdown highlighted news of police-administered brutality, promoting Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s narrative of the abrogation being an act of state-terrorism.[18] Therefore, Pakistani media focused entirely and thoroughly on the opposition to India’s revocation of Article 370 and extended the international media’s reporting on unrest and violence to a narrative of state-implemented terrorism. This opposition was in alignment with the political framing of Pakistan’s long-standing dispute with India over the control of J&K. In addition, similarly to the Indian media’s propagation of the Modi narrative, it completely and unquestioningly supported Khan’s stance.
Therefore, this survey of media coverage identifies the three conflicting narratives around the revocation of autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370): the Indian mainstream media’s claims of normalcy, the international and independent Indian media’s account of unrest and violence, and Pakistani media’s assertion of state-terrorism and a risk of genocide. Such divergence of perspectives presents a complex challenge to the credibility of these media sources. In the cases, where they are aligning themselves with a certain political perspective, such as the Indian media with the BJP and the Pakistani media with Imran Khan, reliance on their unquestioning narratives as sources of information poses a threat to the continuance of political debate within the public.
Furthermore, this survey identifies each of these accounts as extremely one-sided, with limited consideration awarded to alternative stances. The fact that clear lines can be drawn around these distinctive accounts points to the possibility that, in aligning with their respective political framings, each one of these camps fails to explore alternative reasoning and perspectives, and consequently fails to address the actual complexities of what happened in Jammu and Kashmir. In the conflict between these largely singular accounts, the multi-faceted and possibly paradoxical complexity of the truth for Jammu and Kashmir is cloaked and lost.
Bibliography
Aggarwal, Arshi. “Kashmir Article 370: Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti arrested.” India Today.August 5, 2019. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kashmir-article-370-mehbooba-mufti-arrested-taken-to-guest-house-1577554-2019-08-05.
“Article 370: What happened with Kashmir and why it matters,” BBC News, August 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49234708.
Bhatia, Sidharth. “Indian TV Media’s Blatant Endorsement of Hyper-Nationalism Is Shameful.” The Wire. February 28, 2019. https://thewire.in/media/indian-tv-medias-blatant-endorsement-of-hyper-nationalism-is-shameful.
Bommala, Nabinder. “Asaduddin Owaisi mocks Amit Shah’s claims on Kashmir.” Times News Network. Updated on September 30, 2019. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/asad-mocks-shahs-claims-on-kashmir/articleshow/71382549.cms.
Chakravarty, Ipsita and Safwat Zargar. “When even a 12-year-old buying bread in Kashmir gets detained in police sweep.” Scroll.in, August 28, 2019. https://scroll.in/article/935411/ground-report-when-even-a-12-year-old-buying-bread-in-kashmir-gets-detained-in-police-sweep?fbclid=IwAR0lupI91_EfZlUbHKwT0JCetClJsLbXT_lukKjY1hcXlr1DaYu7pEsc3hg.
Chandrashekhar, Vaishnavi. “India’s Media is War-Crazy.” Foreign Policy. March 1, 2019. https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/01/indias-media-is-war-crazy/.
Digital Desk. “J&K: Here’s How Article 370 & 35A Created the Right Conditions For Terrorism.”Republic World. August 5, 2019. https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/j-and-k-heres-how-article-370-and-35a-created-the-right-conditions-for-terrorism.html.
Ghoshal, Devjyot and Fayaz Bukhari. “Thousands protest in Indian Kashmir over new status despite clampdown.” Reuters, August 9, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir/thousands-protest-in-indian-kashmir-over-new-status-despite-clampdown-idUSKCN1UZ0OT.
Hussain, Syed Khalid Hussain. “Situation in Jammu and Kashmir returning to normalcy, government extending all possible help.” Edited by Ananya Das. Zee News.August 8, 2019. https://zeenews.india.com/india/situation-in-jammu-and-kashmir-returning-to-normalcy-government-extending-all-possible-help-2225814.html.
“India abolishes special status of occupied Kashmir.” Geo News. August 5, 2019. https://www.geo.tv/latest/244337-india-abolishes-special-status-of-occupied-kashmir.
“Kashmir families allege brutality by Indian forces.” Samaa Digital. September 10, 2019. https://www.samaa.tv/news/geopolitics/2019/09/kashmir-families-allege-brutality-by-indian-forces/.
Merchant, Minhaz. “Article 370 abrogation: Foreign media’s India bias.” Wion.September 12, 2019. https://www.wionews.com/opinions/article-370-abrogation-foreign-medias-india-bias-249191.
Mitra, Mili. “This is the Modi government’s darkest moment.” Washington Post.August 6, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/06/this-is-modi-governments-darkest-moment/.
Narayanan, Koushik. “J&K Ground Report: Fake Campaign On Mass Protest Busted; Kashmir’s Newspapers Very Much In Circulation.” Republic World. August 10, 2019. https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/j-and-k-ground-report-fake-campaign-on-mass-protest-busted-kashmirs-newspapers-very-much-in-circulation.html.
“Normal life remains disrupted in Kashmir.” Times News Network. Updated on September 12, 2019. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/normal-life-remains-disrupted-in-kashmir/articleshow/71093298.cms.
“Pakistan will continue to support Kashmir, vows Imran Khan. ” Samaa Digital. August 14, 2019. https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/08/pakistan-will-continue-to-support-kashmir-vows-imran-khan/.
Parker, Claire. “India’s clampdown on Kashmir continues. Here’s what you need to know.” The Washington Post. August 13, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/08/05/india-revoked-kashmirs-special-status-heres-what-you-need-know-about-contested-province/.
Rehbar, Quratulain. “Ground Report: Agony and Casualties in the Valley in the Immediate Aftermath of Shutdown.” The Wire. August 23, 2019. https://thewire.in/rights/jammu-kashmir-srinagar-article-370.
Special Correspondent. “No normalcy in Kashmir, says women’s fact-finding team.” The Hindu. September 24, 2019. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/no-normalcy-in-kashmir-says-womens-fact-finding-team/article29502396.ece.
Special Correspondent.“There is normalcy in Kashmir, says Army chief,” The Hindu. September 25, 2019. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/there-is-normalcy-in-kashmir-says-army-chief/article29511540.ece.
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[1] Claire Parker, “India’s clampdown on Kashmir continues. Here’s what you need to know,” The Washington Post, August 13, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/08/05/india-revoked-kashmirs-special-status-heres-what-you-need-know-about-contested-province/.; Arshi Aggarwal, “Kashmir Article 370: Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti arrested,” India Today, August 5, 2019, https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kashmir-article-370-mehbooba-mufti-arrested-taken-to-guest-house-1577554-2019-08-05.
[2] Note that independent media in India are those sources that distinguish themselves from the mainstream and are presented as being independent of influence by the government. They are placed in the camp with international media due to largely aligned narratives.
[3] Digital Desk, “J&K: Here’s How Article 370 & 35A Created the Right Conditions For Terrorism,” Republic World, August 5, 2019, https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/j-and-k-heres-how-article-370-and-35a-created-the-right-conditions-for-terrorism.html.
[4] Zee Media Bureau, “Integration and empowerment: PM Narendra Modi says J&K free from shackles now,” ed. Shubhodeep Chakravarty, Zee News, August 6, 2019, https://zeenews.india.com/india/integration-and-empowerment-pm-narendra-modi-says-jk-free-from-shackles-now-2225351.html.
[5] Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar, “India’s Media is War-Crazy,” Foreign Policy, March 1, 2019, https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/01/indias-media-is-war-crazy/.; Sidharth Bhatia, “Indian TV Media’s Blatant Endorsement of Hyper-Nationalism Is Shameful,” The Wire, February 28, 2019. https://thewire.in/media/indian-tv-medias-blatant-endorsement-of-hyper-nationalism-is-shameful.
[6] Syed Khalid Hussain Hussain, “Situation in Jammu and Kashmir returning to normalcy, government extending all possible help,” ed. Ananya Das, Zee News, August 8, 2019, https://zeenews.india.com/india/situation-in-jammu-and-kashmir-returning-to-normalcy-government-extending-all-possible-help-2225814.html.
[7] Koushik Narayanan, “J&K Ground Report: Fake Campaign On Mass Protest Busted; Kashmir’s Newspapers Very Much In Circulation,” Republic World, August 10, 2019, https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/j-and-k-ground-report-fake-campaign-on-mass-protest-busted-kashmirs-newspapers-very-much-in-circulation.html.
[8] Special Correspondent, “No normalcy in Kashmir, says women’s fact-finding team,” The Hindu, September 24, 2019, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/no-normalcy-in-kashmir-says-womens-fact-finding-team/article29502396.ece.
[9] Special Correspondent, “There is normalcy in Kashmir, says Army chief,” The Hindu, September 25, 2019, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/there-is-normalcy-in-kashmir-says-army-chief/article29511540.ece.
[10] Nabinder Bommala, “Asaduddin Owaisi mocks Amit Shah’s claims on Kashmir,” Times News Network, updated on September 30, 2019, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/asad-mocks-shahs-claims-on-kashmir/articleshow/71382549.cms.; “Normal life remains disrupted in Kashmir,” Times News Network, updated on September 12, 2019, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/normal-life-remains-disrupted-in-kashmir/articleshow/71093298.cms.
[11] “Article 370: What happened with Kashmir and why it matters,” BBC News, August 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49234708.;
[12] Mili Mitra, “This is the Modi government’s darkest moment,” Washington Post, August 6, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/06/this-is-modi-governments-darkest-moment/.
[13] Devjyot Ghoshal and Fayaz Bukhari, “Thousands protest in Indian Kashmir over new status despite clampdown,”Reuters, August 9, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir/thousands-protest-in-indian-kashmir-over-new-status-despite-clampdown-idUSKCN1UZ0OT.
[14] Quratulain Rehbar, “Ground Report: Agony and Casualties in the Valley in the Immediate Aftermath of Shutdown,” The Wire, August 23, 2019, https://thewire.in/rights/jammu-kashmir-srinagar-article-370.; Ipsita Chakravarty and Safwat Zargar, “When even a 12-year-old buying bread in Kashmir gets detained in police sweep,” Scroll.in, August 28, 2019, https://scroll.in/article/935411/ground-report-when-even-a-12-year-old-buying-bread-in-kashmir-gets-detained-in-police-sweep?fbclid=IwAR0lupI91_EfZlUbHKwT0JCetClJsLbXT_lukKjY1hcXlr1DaYu7pEsc3hg.
[15] Koushik Narayanan, “J&K Ground Report: Fake Campaign On Mass Protest Busted; Kashmir’s Newspapers Very Much In Circulation,” Republic World, August 10, 2019, https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/j-and-k-ground-report-fake-campaign-on-mass-protest-busted-kashmirs-newspapers-very-much-in-circulation.html.
[16] Minhaz Merchant, “Article 370 abrogation: Foreign media’s India bias,” Wion,September 12, 2019, https://www.wionews.com/opinions/article-370-abrogation-foreign-medias-india-bias-249191.
[17] “India abolishes special status of occupied Kashmir,” Geo News, August 5, 2019, https://www.geo.tv/latest/244337-india-abolishes-special-status-of-occupied-kashmir.
[18] “Pakistan will continue to support Kashmir, vows Imran Khan, ” Samaa Digital, August 14, 2019, https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/08/pakistan-will-continue-to-support-kashmir-vows-imran-khan/.; “Kashmir families allege brutality by Indian forces, ” Samaa Digital, September 10, 2019, https://www.samaa.tv/news/geopolitics/2019/09/kashmir-families-allege-brutality-by-indian-forces/
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