Our Media …. Friends or Foes ???

It started around noon on 10th of October and finished at 9 o’ clock the next day. In between people were martyred and held hostage. The terrorists were neutralized. Mostly killed and their leader was captured. Interesting stories came on the scene when the episode started. News channels bore the headline “GHQ Under attack”, many defense analysts and common people were telecast doing what they do best, criticizing the security of the GHQ. It was a perfect example of what our media mostly does and that is presenting an exciting image of an event even if its far from the truth.

To start with, the initial attack was carried out at the first security check post of the GHQ. This check post is like 500 m

Army personnel being transported to the GHQ after the terrorist attack

from the second check post and the offices and the main buildings are a mile or more further in. It really wouldn’t be much difficult to approach that check post for anyone because it is located adjacent to the main road. It was really hilarious to hear thoughts such as “How can someone get an army uniform so easily?” on the television. Seriously? can anyone even be so ignorant not to mention stupid. Feels like the media runs out of stories about an event in one day and so such thoughts are conveyed to the whole world. One television channel was running an animation of a car going into the GHQ and then the GHQ buildings were shown to be on fire. Yes and average man wouldn’t think much about it. If he hasn’t visited or seen the GHQ from outside he wouldn’t think much before concluding that maybe the terrorists did hit the buildings or maybe they got through extensive security checkpoints before being caught. I won’t blame the public for what it thinks but it’s the media that defines people’s thoughts nowadays.

After the initial hit and the attempt at the second check post, the terrorists disappeared into hiding and the army had to search them out. Now was the time when the media had to put the right frame on the picture but again to my utter disappointment, all i heard on the news channels were comments and views about the lack of security around the hockey and the cricket ground and how other terrorists ‘may’ have got into the GHQ amidst all the distraction at the security check posts. The sad thing was the approach of the reporters. How they could have presented a positive picture by saying that the army has the situation under control and preventing unrest amongst the public but again they took the negative path by predicting the worst. Yes i know the media has a job of broadcasting the truth but when the truth is vague, It has the choice of bending it both ways doesn’t it?

The terrorists took refuge in a security building and took 42 people hostage. The rescue operation started at 6 a.m. the next day. Many eye brows were raised over the long delay in the start of the rescue operation. At the end of the day every news channel and politician was all praises for army for a job well done but whenever the army is in testing times they always find a point to criticize and not support them. Not many people had the vision to think that maybe the army was inducing an intentional delay to tire these terrorists out or catch them by surprise.

I’d like to share a happening here that no TV channel broadcast. A story from when the SSG was planning the rescue operation. The scenario was that a terrorist was sitting in the middle of the room wearing a suicide jacket and the hostages were made to sit around him. The idea was that when the army would enter the terrorist would blow himself up and take a large number of innocent lives. The number of hostages in that room were 22. When planning the operation, the commander asked for a volunteer who would enter the room first and take out the terrorist sitting in the center so that everyone could be saved from the suicide blast. The intricacy of this act was that when the commando would take out the terrorist sitting in the center, the rest of the terrorists would shoot at him and thus whoever opted for it would be opting for his last mission. I feel pride in my army when i say that every commando that was to take part in the operation volunteered to be the first person, but the commando with the best firing ability was chosen for the task. When the mission started, He entered the room and shot the terrorist sitting in the center right through his head with a pistol. He was shot by the other terrorists and embraced shahadat at the spot. All 22 hostages of that room were saved.

The point to ponder here is that, if i, being a normal man can get hands on this story and that too from authentic sources, why can’t our media find such things. Or the question is, Are they even looking for them? We hear activists raising voices against the inhuman behavior of the army with these terrorists. The question to ask is, Are these people even human? Is teaching your children how to behead men human? Or is beheading men human? for that matter. Obviously everyone is with you when you are victorious and successful. The true faces of people are unveiled when you are down and out and lets not forget what the media has said about the army in the past couple of years whatever the case may be….