Omer Bhatti writes about outgoing DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor's legacy. It is fair to say his legacy will be mixed-a bit of good and definitely a lot of controversy, he argues.
It was Pakistan vs South Africa at the Lord’s cricket stadium during the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England. There was hustle and bustle with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people in central London. As I strolled past one of the snack shops, there was a group of young, middle aged boys who had surrounded this one man just so they could click a selfie, photograph and so on. That man was the now Ex DG ISPR Asif Ghafoor.
Perhaps, the long lasting impact that Asif Ghafoor had on Pakistan’s information discourse on Twitter and Facebook can be best remembered by the term ‘notification’. (I’ll get to that later). From trolling, criticising and countering Indian propaganda on twitter to having public spats with Pakistani journalists, Asif Ghafoor has been there, done that.
Firstly, there was his revolutionary turnaround time on major events. Whether it be Chief’s phone call with Secretary Pompeo, or Indian shelling on the border, the DG was quick to provide information, dispel rumours and maintained a streamlined source of news. His responses to propagandists on the Indian side of border – spreading fake news, dumbing down Kashmir abuse, or praising Abhinandan- were stellar. Case in point: when he invited downed Wing Commander Abhinandan back for tea to Pakistan through his Twitter account. The DG’s solidified ISPR as a primary news source for internal Army matters and international engagements via quick dissemination of news, evidence and factual analysis. This was unprecedented vis a vis the ISPR.
But on the other hand, few in the history of Pakistan’s most powerful institution had publicly denounced a civilian government notification post an interior ministry sanctioned inquiry. But Asif Ghafoor went out and said that the notification was ‘rejected’.This was a low point in civil military relations and a tweet which was best not done. After all, the chief spokesperson of the military should at least provide the impression that the government won’t be undermined, even if that perception is half true.
Perhaps, his efforts to cement and craft public opinion that Pakistan was fighting 5th Generation warfare will be most contested. While information warfare is a very concrete reality, the dynamics of 5th Generation warfare are largely unfounded in international relations literature. This is an academically different debate but the methodology used to propagate this narrative was uncalled for.
He launched a massive campaign to hire young university graduates at the ISPR to fuel, build and shape the narrative that the country is being cornered via 5th Generation warfare. It appeared as if critics had gotten under his skin prompting those responses. With his massive following and reverence, this led to creating an ‘other’ out of those who were criticised by him and often, viciously targeted by the team at ISPR.
In a nutshell, it is fair to say his legacy will be mixed-a bit of good and definitely a lot of controversy. The incoming DG should be tactful in that regard.
It was Pakistan vs South Africa at the Lord’s cricket stadium during the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England. There was hustle and bustle with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people in central London. As I strolled past one of the snack shops, there was a group of young, middle aged boys who had surrounded this one man just so they could click a selfie, photograph and so on. That man was the now Ex DG ISPR Asif Ghafoor.
Perhaps, the long lasting impact that Asif Ghafoor had on Pakistan’s information discourse on Twitter and Facebook can be best remembered by the term ‘notification’. (I’ll get to that later). From trolling, criticising and countering Indian propaganda on twitter to having public spats with Pakistani journalists, Asif Ghafoor has been there, done that.
Firstly, there was his revolutionary turnaround time on major events. Whether it be Chief’s phone call with Secretary Pompeo, or Indian shelling on the border, the DG was quick to provide information, dispel rumours and maintained a streamlined source of news. His responses to propagandists on the Indian side of border – spreading fake news, dumbing down Kashmir abuse, or praising Abhinandan- were stellar. Case in point: when he invited downed Wing Commander Abhinandan back for tea to Pakistan through his Twitter account. The DG’s solidified ISPR as a primary news source for internal Army matters and international engagements via quick dissemination of news, evidence and factual analysis. This was unprecedented vis a vis the ISPR.
But on the other hand, few in the history of Pakistan’s most powerful institution had publicly denounced a civilian government notification post an interior ministry sanctioned inquiry. But Asif Ghafoor went out and said that the notification was ‘rejected’.This was a low point in civil military relations and a tweet which was best not done. After all, the chief spokesperson of the military should at least provide the impression that the government won’t be undermined, even if that perception is half true.
Perhaps, his efforts to cement and craft public opinion that Pakistan was fighting 5th Generation warfare will be most contested. While information warfare is a very concrete reality, the dynamics of 5th Generation warfare are largely unfounded in international relations literature. This is an academically different debate but the methodology used to propagate this narrative was uncalled for.
He launched a massive campaign to hire young university graduates at the ISPR to fuel, build and shape the narrative that the country is being cornered via 5th Generation warfare. It appeared as if critics had gotten under his skin prompting those responses. With his massive following and reverence, this led to creating an ‘other’ out of those who were criticised by him and often, viciously targeted by the team at ISPR.
In a nutshell, it is fair to say his legacy will be mixed-a bit of good and definitely a lot of controversy. The incoming DG should be tactful in that regard.