The media-savvy Taliban
The media should not let itself be used as a platform by the warring sides.

By Faizullah Jan


RECENTLY, an international media outlet ran a story which was considered significant in many ways. The story was quickly picked up by television channels and newspapers thus amplifying its impact.

As Operation Rah-i-Raast enters its final stage, giving the people of Swat and Buner the hope of returning to their homes soon, this single story must have shattered the trust of many in the military operation.

Quoting the Swat Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, the news item said that the high command of the jihadists had met at a secret location and decided to continue their jihad until the enforcement of “practical Sharia” in Malakand division. The timing of the news is of essence: at a time when the people, especially those forced to leave their homes, were developing trust in the military operation, this news must have caused many to think that their hopes had been misplaced.

Since according to the Taliban comments, which were not verified by the correspondent, the meeting was chaired by the dreaded Mullah Fazlullah and attended by all commanders at a secret location, we can assume that the statement was meant to remind the displaced that the Taliban could be back to their old ways soon. It also reinforced the public perception that the law-enforcement agencies were eliminating the foot soldiers of the Taliban but sparing their hardcore leadership.Based on a statement which Muslim Khan made by calling from an “undisclosed location” in Swat, the timing and wording show how media savvy the extremists are and how gullible our journalist community is. He particularly mentioned that “all commanders” attended the meeting, intending to give the message that no significant Taliban figure had been killed so far. Since it was a verbal statement, some tough questions could have been put to him. But Muslim Khan’s words were used and reported as a scoop, which is unfortunate.

Most Taliban-infested areas in Swat and Buner have been cleared with local lashkars taking on the Taliban in Upper Dir. This shows that things are tough for the Taliban this time round because they have offered almost no resistance anywhere except in a pocket of Upper Dir.

People are returning to Buner in droves from camps and other places in Swabi and Mardan. Their return shows that the Taliban are on the run in the face of an effective military operation which this time has public approval. Once the displaced persons return home and restart their lives, the “moral support” — if there is any — for the marauders who use the name of Sharia to terrorise the whole population will be taken away. It will also instill confidence in the public visà-vis the power of the state against the ruthlessness of the Taliban who thrived on the sociopolitical and economic contradictions in the remote areas of northwest Pakistan. People were overwhelmed by the power of the Taliban and the total absence or supine nature of the state machinery in these areas.

It took a long time for the state to swing into action to disrupt the Taliban network first and then take them out individually. So far the signs are that the Taliban ranks are helter-skelter with no imminent signs of regrouping for a formidable resistance. Their interaction with the media is sporadic in contrast with the time when they ruled the airwaves through their hate radios or made headlines in both the print and electronic media on a regular basis.

Until recently, journalists would make it a point to call the Taliban for a big story in case the militants ignored them for some time. Every statement or briefing by the military’s Inter Services Public Relations would be “balanced” by the Taliban version. Meanwhile, the foreign media, that influences Pakistanis, would be contacted by the Taliban through different chains of ‘acquaintances’ to also include their opinion in their reports.

In any war or insurgency there are always two parties to the conflict. Being at loggerheads, the warring parties try to inject their own version in every story that journalists write or report. Journalists in their attempt to balance the story try to quote both sides. But they fail to understand that one set of lies cannot be balanced by another; rather it muddles the story and the real news is buried under a load of claims and counter-claims.

Many media men, unfortunately, fail to step out of their offices to look for the real story that those who suffer either because of Taliban excesses or at the hands of the military have to tell. Thus the public voice and their grievances go unheard in the din of the propaganda of the rival sides. Of course, this does not mean that journalists should not talk to the warring parties, but it would be well if they did not take their statements as the whole story. What the antagonists say can be a tip for a long story. The media should be on guard not to be used as a platform by the warring sides. Even the state-run PTV had a live telephonic interview with Muslim Khan soon after the Swat deal was signed in which he said that the Taliban’s struggle was not for the enforcement of the Sharia in Malakand only, but the whole world.

This must have galvanised the like-minded while giving sleepless nights to those who take a more moderate view of religion. One way to see the Taliban defeated is to deny them access to the media through which they threaten the terrified people. As a tool of power, the media has the capacity to lionise or demonise characters, making non-entities into larger-than-life figures.

If shunned by the mass media many negative characters would lose their constituency. The media should concentrate on the agonies of the people. When people hear their voices and see their faces on the media they own it, which gives journalists and their organisations acceptability in society. It is this acceptability that the mass media draws its strength from. The role of the media is to give hope to the people, not to make them despair.
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