A tale of two very different stories
Something remarkable is happening with the mainstream Western press: It’s starting to produce stories on India’s underside.
This is striking because in recent years, Western media narratives on India have mostly revolved around economic success, flourishing democracy (“the world’s largest”), and Bollywood.
The turning point seems to have been an incident in Assam several weeks back, when, with cameras rolling, a mob of marauding men assaulted and stripped a young woman on a Guwahati street. This deplorable act has generated extensive coverage in America and the UK, and has triggered a steady stream of stories about the dreadful status of women in India. A well-researched piece in the Guardian, headlined “Why is India So Bad for Women?” catalogues a litany of horrifying examples — women gang-raped at a police station, stripped and shaved by villagers, beheaded by their fathers — few of which have previously received any coverage in the West.
Of course, any casual visitor to India will quickly recognise the struggles faced by women in the country (according to the United Nations, India has more gender inequality than Pakistan). I was in New Delhi on March 8, 2011 — ironically, International Women’s Day — when a 21-year-old female university student was shot, in broad daylight, by a probable stalker. The attacker got away easily, and the woman lay bleeding until a solitary policeman placed her in a rickshaw and brought her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Indian media reports described the case as a failure of New Delhi law enforcement. I wonder, though, if efforts to come to the victim’s aid and to apprehend the attacker would have been more robust and immediate had the victim been male.
This represents the dark side of India — the one that isn’t “shining,” and the one that Western media coverage largely eschews. It’s dominated by appalling levels of poverty (admittedly, several Western outlets have reported Oxford University’s finding that there is more poverty in eight Indian states than in all of sub-Saharan Africa combined) and corruption.
And then there’s the violence. The latest flare-up of ethnic strife in Assam’s Kokrajhar region (covered by few Western outlets besides the BBC and New York Times) is a recent example, yet there is also frequent religious and caste-based violence, not to mention unrest sparked by the roughly 100 insurgent groups operating in northeastern India alone, and by the country’s Maoist rebellion.
Of course, these are the same types of problems afflicting Pakistan, and they figure prominently in Western media depictions of that country. So why does the Western press so often highlight these issues in Pakistan, yet so rarely in India? One possibility is that they are, broadly speaking, less widespread and acute in India. After all, New Delhi, unlike Islamabad, makes genuine efforts to provide for the general population — generous shares of national budgets are dedicated to social services and human development, and efforts to educate the masses have enjoyed a measure of success. Additionally, India is not burdened by a legacy of military rule — or of state-sponsored support for militancy.
Another reason why India is portrayed more positively in the Western media is that it enjoys a better image abroad — thanks to both a Bollywood-fueled global cultural narrative (also known as soft power) and an extensive diaspora, which features prominent public personalities (from Deepak Chopra and Fareed Zakaria to Nikki Haley and Rajiv Shah) and boasts powerful lobby groups in key Western capitals.
How about Pakistani media treatment of India? The Pakistani press certainly doesn’t ignore India’s unsavory side. However, it is guilty of another important omission: It rarely captures the sentiments of the rising numbers of Indians who neither regard Pakistan as a threat (notwithstanding continued fears of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil) nor harbor a desire to attack their western neighbor. By hewing to this strategy, Pakistani reportage undoubtedly strengthens the Pakistan-under-threat line long peddled by elements in the security establishment. Yet in fact, even while many Indians remain hostile to Pakistan, their fears about Pakistan, as I’ve written previously, are increasingly getting eclipsed by growing alarm about China. When I speak with Indian security experts about future war scenarios, they all want to talk about China, not Pakistan.
So it’s important for the Western media to provide a balanced picture of India. Yet it’s also essential for the Pakistani media to do so. By highlighting India’s softening perceptions of Pakistan, the Pakistani media can help reduce domestic paranoia about India, thereby improving the already-encouraging climate for Pakistan-India détente (and yes, I acknowledge that Indian media coverage of Pakistan is far from flawless, and that it could also help improve bilateral relations with more balanced reportage — both points deserving of separate posts).
Is this all too much to ask for? Probably so. But it’s still well worth a try.
The author is the program associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. You can reach him at michael.kugelman@wilsoncenter.org
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
The gist of the article is "India has problems, but it makes genuine efforts to improve". The author stopped short of saying, Pakistan should learn from mistakes and improve. But, the comments from pakistani friends suggest they don't get it.
India is an emerging super power and success story of South Asia. pakistan is an historical mistake and politically economically and morally bankrupt. Thats why!
Now have the courage to print this truth
what the hell is wrong with dawn news website am facing big problem whenever i try to read anything. photo of imran khan most commented most read is coming on my phone screen i cant read anything. facing this problem from 3 days. cant close this window huh fix this bug
Amazing statistics for dawn about its Indian readers. It seems like more Indians read Dawn compared to Pakistanis.
Loser talk
Oops! So many Indian to show their disgust for Pakistanis!
I personally have been to many western countries including America and have observed that a very positive image of India exists there. Its neither solely because of India's economic progress nor the superior law and order condition and successful democracy. Its because of positive portrayal of India's image through media.
On the other hand, Pakistan's problem is that it has been a victim of discrimination due to its ideology i.e. Islam.
Due to this deep-rooted discrimination, Pakistan has been targeted severely to unveil its issues while neglecting the neighbours.
While many of the problems are common, the essential difference is as follows: The mindset of the people in India is essentially moderate & centrist and progressive. When a misdeed becomes public, the reaction of the people and the government is swift, rational and appropriate. That is not the case in Pakistan where killers are showered with rose petals, discrimination against minorities is state sponsored and confused religious tenets permeates every facet of public discussion.
All Indo Pak articles in the internet revolves around snubbing each other.Nobody provides or does a solution to the problems of the society.The article seems a tilted directed towards hate the neighbor philosophy
I am an Indian. And I'm sure the educated youth of India does not fear or hate Pakistan. They are just concerned. I'm not sure of Mr Kugelman's nationality. But he sounds 'anti-India' and 'anti-West', which is not an impartial stance to take when you are writing a comparison piece.
And dear friends, who have commented here, the issues between India and Pakistan were born much before most of us were. I mean, it was not our making. So, let's not carry them around ourselves. Dear Pak friends, as an Indian I am aware of what all issues my country faces. All I can do, as a journalist, is to speak against them through my writings. I wish you do the same too… Protest against the wrongs of your land before pointing fingers at your neighbour. best.
Besides a wider strategy to promote India by western govts and media, one reason that makes Pakistan different from India and other countries (e.g., Mexico and even USA) is that both in India and Mexico there are bubbles, bubbles of security and economic growth and bubbles of insecurity and mayhem. In Pakistan insecurity and terrorism is simmering everywhere, not only that Pakistan is unable to control it but at the same time have lost its focus from other areas as well, and that happen mainly due to incapable and lazy people in power.
The intensity and magnitude of terrorism in Pakistan may be less than Mexico (~50,000 killed in Mexico’s drug war), but unfortunately Pakistan has completely stopped working on the progress; some insecurity does not mean that we stop working to solve (electric)power, water and economic issues. Both India and Mexico did not ignore the economic progress and nurturing their strong points and are rightfully reaping the rewards.
The new generation in Pakistan should shy away from India centric approach. The world is a bigger place. Western Media or even India Media always cover problem issues and that is good. Problem is problem no matter where it is and if covered gets attention. Does that mean UN or USA going to impose sanction against India? Till a countryt or a human lives there will always be problems and a solution will be required but sometime Country as such become a problem and it rolls back like Syria, Libya ….
Dear Saadia:
India is a Capitalist country and so press is like a company they try to cover what sells. for your information look at the program that Amir Khan is hosting. Satmev Jayte. (Amir Khan is a muslim). That is how a fowarding looking country works. It is the trend that matters not the current state. It is not about defensive but the fact sheet. There are laws in India that are terrible but will force govt to change in future….It is the free press that has forced so many changes that otherwise won't have happenned. There will always be problems and people criticing the country even if India become the superpower. There is a total mindset in India. There was a generation who wanted and hoped that someday Pakistan will be integrated with India like Germany. The new Generation and Political environment does not want that at any cost….why? Because the govt in democracies work with people mood….