India Today’s Executive Editor Geeta Mohan recently tweeted that Pakistan-Turkey relations pose a “geopolitical time bomb,” portraying them as an ideological alignment between Islamabad and Ankara. She cited Turkish drones flying over Kashmir, Pakistan’s alleged Mughal nostalgia, and President Erdogan’s Ottoman ambitions as evidence of a growing threat. However, this portrayal grossly oversimplifies the strategic rationale behind these relations and injects unnecessary fear into public discourse.
By focusing on symbolic elements and ideological assumptions, Mohan ignored the pragmatic and strategic motivations behind Pakistan-Turkey cooperation. She failed to recognize that modern international partnerships often reflect shared geopolitical interests—not historical fantasies or religious agendas.
Media Sensationalism and Nationalist Narratives
Indian media—particularly segments often described as “Godi media”—continue to amplify chest-thumping nationalism over objective journalism. This trend not only distorts public understanding but also intensifies mistrust across South Asia. Moreover, the media’s tendency to frame Pakistan’s partnerships with Turkey and China through an ideological lens undermines the very real and strategic efforts aimed at promoting regional stability and economic connectivity.
Furthermore, recent India-Pakistan tensions revealed how media narratives can inflame existing hostilities. When media outlets equate diplomatic cooperation with existential threats, they push nations further from constructive dialogue and closer to confrontation.
Strategic Depth, Not Religious Sentiment
Contrary to Mohan’s assertions, Pakistan-Turkey relations rest on shared strategic interests, including defense collaboration, regional peace-building, and trade expansion. These ties aim to balance regional power dynamics, not revive imperial legacies or engage in religious adventurism.
On the contrary, Pakistan continues to pursue multilateral diplomacy to ensure stability and economic interdependence across the region. By labeling this diplomacy as an ideological crusade, Indian media risks alienating potential partners and escalating regional tensions.
Pakistan-Turkey relations : When Journalism Becomes Propaganda
When journalists echo state narratives without critical analysis, they compromise the very essence of credible reporting. Mohan’s “#Statecraft” series, in this context, reads less like objective journalism and more like a targeted campaign against Pakistan. Her selective outrage mirrors the style of Indian anchors such as Arnab Goswami and Gaurav Arya, both of whom have faced criticism for disinformation and hyper-nationalistic content.
Additionally, Mohan’s framing ignores the complexity of South Asian geopolitics. It reduces evolving partnerships to simplistic binaries of ally versus enemy, which does little to promote peace and understanding in an already fragile region.
A Call for Responsible Discourse
If India truly wants to prevent future escalations, its media must abandon war-driven narratives and embrace responsible, balanced reporting. Peace requires more than deterrence—it demands mutual respect, open dialogue, and a willingness to understand rather than vilify.
Biased reporting and ideological fear-mongering may serve short-term political gains, but they jeopardize long-term peace and regional cooperation. It is time to replace paranoia with perspective and rhetoric with reason. Only then can South Asia move toward genuine regional stability.
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