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Non-<strong>Trade</strong>-Related Stakes of the <strong>Pakistan</strong>-<strong>India</strong> Relationship<br />
scandals, and local events. This insular mindset leaves limited room for<br />
international news to seep in, and perhaps a lack of public appetite for<br />
it as well. <strong>Pakistan</strong> usually registers very low on the media’s radar, unless<br />
there is a negative event (such as a terrorist attack), an accident,<br />
or political turmoil. Positive and constructive news seldom trickles in.<br />
Thus <strong>India</strong>’s view of <strong>Pakistan</strong> as a nation and as a society, seen through<br />
this colored lens, is diminutional and frequently quite negative. Travel<br />
restrictions, regulated trade, and limited cultural exchanges do not help<br />
the situation. In addition, only two journalists are allowed to be stationed<br />
in each country—an expanse of 1.4 billion people. No <strong>Pakistan</strong>i<br />
television channels are aired in <strong>India</strong>, and rarely does a <strong>Pakistan</strong>i movie<br />
make a dent in the high-budget Bollywood industry.<br />
Perceptions of <strong>India</strong> in <strong>Pakistan</strong><br />
<strong>India</strong>’s dominant media and entertainment industry does a masterful job<br />
projecting the country’s image globally, including in <strong>Pakistan</strong>. <strong>India</strong>n<br />
movies are widely watched in <strong>Pakistan</strong>i cinemas. <strong>India</strong>’s news, entertainment,<br />
and sports channels are aired throughout <strong>Pakistan</strong>’s cable networks;<br />
its Bollywood stars and products are branded across <strong>Pakistan</strong>i<br />
society; and its economic success stories are highlighted in <strong>Pakistan</strong>’s<br />
media. This provides an opportunity for the <strong>Pakistan</strong>i public to view<br />
<strong>India</strong> from many lenses. Hence whenever there is negative news emanating<br />
from <strong>India</strong>, people in <strong>Pakistan</strong> are better equipped to place it in the<br />
correct context than are their counterparts across the border when faced<br />
with bad news from <strong>Pakistan</strong>.<br />
It is perhaps normal to expect a degree of misperception to exist<br />
between both sides, but in this instance it is weighed disproportionately<br />
against <strong>Pakistan</strong>—especially when <strong>Pakistan</strong> is seen as an entity that<br />
“parted ways” with <strong>India</strong> at the time of its birth. In the past, <strong>India</strong>n politicians<br />
have had to resign or were thrown out of their parties for writing<br />
or publicly commenting positively about <strong>Pakistan</strong> or its founding<br />
father—not because they were articulating inaccurate information, but<br />
because it clashed with the prevailing narrative that <strong>Pakistan</strong> parted ways<br />
on ideological grounds and did not want to be part of a broader pluralistic<br />
society. Interestingly, this contrasts with the complimentary views<br />
frequently expressed in <strong>India</strong> about the people of <strong>Pakistan</strong> as individuals,<br />
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