A throwback to Radio Jhootistan

EVER since Operation Sindoor was abruptly halted, there have been conflicting narratives about losses on both sides of the border. Pakistan claims to have shot down several Indian fighter jets, while India asserts that key terror camps were destroyed and many terrorists were killed. Politicians and military officers of both nations continue to make contradictory statements — each boasting of shooting down aircraft and destroying targets, with the figures changing almost every week. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he was instrumental in pushing both sides to agree to a ceasefire; Pakistan accepts it as the truth but India emphatically doesn’t.

The air remains thick with confusion, and citizens are wondering what to believe and what not. This lack of clarity takes me back to the India-Pakistan war of 1965. During those turbulent days, Radio Pakistan broadcast exaggerated claims of battlefield victories and the capture of Indian territories. To counter these tall tales, All India Radio launched a humorous and popular programme called Radio Jhootistan (land of lies).

The name itself carried a touch of satire, and the witty commentary left audiences amused. The show’s narrator would begin by relating the day’s wildest claims from Radio Pakistan and then ridicule these contentions. His voice, rich and confident, became familiar across North India. Families would gather around their radios each evening to listen, young and old alike, sharing laughter even in those tense times.

The Indian authorities did attempt to block Radio Pakistan’s transmissions during the war, but its signal often reached far into Indian territory. Radio Jhootistan thus served both as a morale-booster as well as a sharp lesson in critical thinking. Once, Radio Pakistan announced that the country’s forces were advancing toward Amritsar; in reality, Indian troops had reached the Ichhogil Canal, barely a few kilometres from Lahore. The stark contrast between fact and fiction was almost comical.

After the ceasefire, friends and relatives who had taken part in military operations shared their experiences and displayed small items picked up from abandoned houses across the border as mementoes of courage and sacrifice.

Op Sindoor reminded me that little has changed in the politics of information. In fact, the speed of misinformation has grown, thanks to 24x7 news coverage on television and the Internet. Both sides want to control the narrative, never mind the truth of the matter. Sometimes it appeared that more effort was expended on peddling lies during this short war than on sharing factual reports of the skirmishes. The difference is that while in 1965 at least one side laughed off state propaganda, both sides are now equally keen to push their claims on TV and social media. Technology has evolved, but the motive remains consistent: to control what the masses should know and think.