PAKISTANI Soft PROPAGANDA

Background- power of propaganda

Propaganda now called psyops or psychological warfare is one of the most important tools of modern warfare- in the larger sense - Geopolitics.


During the Second World War Germans under Joseph Goebbels as propaganda minister of Hitler and Nazi Germany manipulated minds of Germans through movies, posters, speeches, banners and several other tools. At the end of it people are gullible and to quote famous lines of Goebbels…

It takes time and I feel ‘subtler the better’. Don’t push- go for slow poisoning of minds through stories.
The most powerful way of using propaganda against your enemy is to bias the minds of civilian population in a particular way- to build a favourable public opinion.


Dr Zhivago- story about story many will not know.

When Boris Pasternak finished his novel "Dr Zhivago" in 1956, at the peak of Cold war, Soviet authorities read the tale of an individual struggle amid the Russian revolution and refused to publish it. The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social change in Russia, starting in 1917.

The author, like the character Zhivago, showed more concern for the welfare of individuals than for the welfare of society. Soviet censors construed some passages as anti-Soviet. They also objected to Pasternak's subtle criticisms of Stalinism, Collectivization, the Great Purge.

Owing to the author's critical stance on the October Revolution, Doctor Zhivago was refused publication in the USSR. At the instigation of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, the manuscript was smuggled to Milan and published in 1957.
Western intelligence agencies, though, quickly realized its potential as a tool of propaganda.

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency realized that the novel presented an opportunity to embarrass the Soviet government and incite Russian citizens. An internal memo within CIA lauded the book's "great propaganda value": not only did the text have a central humanist message, but the Soviet government's having suppressed a great work of literature could make ordinary citizens "wonder what is wrong with their government". Idea was to show communism in poor light in front of the Russians and tell them that capitalism of the West was a better bet-mind games.

The CIA set out to publish 1,000 copies of a Russian-language hardcover edition at Mouton Publishers of the Hague in early September 1958, and arranged for 365 of them, in Mouton's trademark blue linen cover, to be distributed at the Vatican pavilion at the 1958 Brussels world's fair.

The story of how the novel came to be published and smuggled back into the Soviet Union with help from the CIA is told in the book "The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle Over a Forbidden Book."

In quick succession – in 1965- a block buster ‘Dr Zhivago with ‘Laras theme’ as the greatest hit song, the movie was produced by Carlo Ponti production and Metro Goldwin Mayer, with Omar Sharif in the lead role. It appears it had not only a push but a tacit support of the then US administration to drive this point hard into the entire world.

Pakistani Pop propaganda- Pakistani Plays

Indian populace men and women especially women go gaga over Paki plays which are well directed and reflect positively on their culture (However broken internally they may be) showing the common people as civilised- in fact overcivilized with Lahori Punjabi and mix of Urdu lehaza – mesmerising the audience who take a deep breath and say in India especially the North- ‘Haiye yeh to kitne Achchey log hain- bilkul Hamare jaise’. Their actors are brilliant and story line rooted to the family life. Of course, their actors look just like us Indians- handsome men and very beautiful women. In addition, Urdu is a very polite, beautiful and expressive language. Even if you abuse, it looks as if you are praising a person.

You cannot imagine that they are your sworn enemies can ever be barbaric-point conveyed. Even if you are told this in your face you say ‘Bhai aisa ho he nahi sakta’. You blame the politicians and the Pakistani army for everything being done across the border, terrorism and killings- Log saab theek hain. Obviously, you have been able to influence Indian minds – very subtly. In actuality they are like Dr Jackal and Mr Hyde.

Pakistani serials popularly known as Pakistani plays is the talk of every kitty party in India- gossip! Indian Women are crazy and totally hooked to Pakistani plays. ‘Tooney who walla dekha? Kitnee sunder hai na who ladki, total pink skin- or inke aadmi kitne tameez waley hain- no?’ They share names of these plays on whats app kitty groups!
Recent social media game- the youtubers

Youtube is yet another powerful recent phenomenon with a very big reach as today every Indian- almost every one- has a smart phone and madly cheap bandwidth. Flood gates have been opened- you can push elixir or mind poisoning through this. Pakistan used it smartly.

Initially, these YouTubers sought to attract Indian viewership by praising India unabashedly. They lauded India’s policies and economic growth and even expressed admiration for Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. Their narratives echoed sentiments of unity and regret over the partition, portraying India’s economic liberalisation in the 1990s as a commendable move. This strategic approach garnered them millions of Indian subscribers. Even educated Indians appreciated such rare, seemingly sane views and analyses from Pakistani youth. It also proved to the world that there was total freedom of expression in Pakistan. Islamic spin doctors?

At first, it was perplexing to witness the sudden change in tune from Pakistan, a country historically marred by animosity towards India. Suddenly, Pakistani YouTubers were singing praises for Jawaharlal Nehru as the best Prime Minister and socialism as the ideal policy for India. This abrupt shift raised eyebrows, especially considering Pakistan’s track record of hostility towards India over the past 70 years. So, it begged the question how was it that Pakistanis have only now discovered virtues in Indian leaders and policies that they previously overlooked or actively opposed? But still, these YouTubers were embraced by Indians with open arms, evident from the predominance of views and comments on their videos from India.

However, as time passed, their mask began to unravel. Channels focusing on geopolitics gradually began to push their agenda subtly. Considering Pakistan’s precarious economic situation, these YouTubers advocated for the resumption of trade with India which was halted by their Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2019 as a protest against India’s decision to revoke Article 370 in Kashmir. They openly criticised Imran Khan’s decision, labelling it as foolish given the adverse impact it had had on Pakistan’s economy. See the ploy?

We all were smitten by it- see they regret now- the latest sledgehammer to destroy this propaganda- mirage is Bangladesh crisis - where they now curse you 24 by 7. They are ready to welcome Pakistan and shake hands with those who massacred their millions just 50 years back- these are their true colours- don’t go by their serials- they back stab without ‘sankoch’ or remorse- it is their ‘fitrat’

I am certain that middle aged Indian women may not like this discourse- but what has to be said must be said. Ladies and gentlemen please smell the coffee.

“Psyops is all about unusual thinking, man. We want ideas blown up right to where they’re gonna pop. We’re on the cutting edge of reality itself. Right where it turns into a dream.”
— Denis Johnson