Telling our story

India has gifted us a narrative. It would be a shame to waste it. The Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led delegation has reached the United States to relay our story. The team aims to win friends and influence people. Good. They have facts on their side. They also carry with them the freshly minted feel-good factor.

Audiences love a story of a powerful aggressor given a bloody nose by a smaller but defiant competitor. But the challenge of telling a story that impacts policy and perception in important capitals requires more than one visit by one delegation to talk about one event.

Truth be told, Pakistan has been terrible at telling its story. Years and years have rolled by, and we have consistently allowed others to define who we are and what we do. Or, do not do. India, on the other hand, has sold itself — warts and all — like a branded product. It has also misbranded us in the process.

This imbalance in storytelling and narrative building will not be rectified overnight. We may be riding a wave for now, but this wave will subside over time. Best to leverage it to the maximum knowing well that the dividends will not be too substantial.

For real dividends, Pakistan needs to make some hefty policy decisions. The list is a long one. First, we need to figure out what our story is. Second, this story will need to bank on policies that are consistent and not dependent on the whims of whomever happens to be in power at this point. Third, the story will need to be crafted with nuance and linearity which does not become hostage to our wishes.

Credibility and believability have somehow always been underestimated by our decision makers. Fourth, storytellers will need to be selected with extreme care. Position and protocol are the worst qualifications in this respect. Fifth, the story will need to be told through a broad spectrum of platforms which may include media, diplomacy, music, films, fashion and culture.

The story of Pakistan is not the story of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It weaves through cities, towns and villages and absorbs our history and culture through the ages. Policy may form the upper crust, but the roots of the story go deep. Only through such crafting and telling will the story find audience and traction. This is a national project that requires input far greater than the capacity of the state structure. The state should harness the magic of the private sector to help put this vital project together.

This is where we fail. Again, and again. Pompous officials with their hackneyed ideas, stale viewpoints and outdated processes hate to let go. The products they produce are bland, boring, and often cringeworthy. They don’t tell a story. They spoil it.

This is our first test. Can officials recognise their own limitations and acknowledge that some things they do really very badly? Fail this test — again — and we may be back to square one.

Then there’s the consistency issue. In terms of India, the state needs to plan for the long term. Such planning has to be premised on the harsh reality that we cannot have good relations with India. So best to stop trying. The maximum we can hope for, and work for, is a state of no-war-no-peace. As long as the Hindutva dragon is around to breathe fire, ours will not be a friendly neighbourhood.

Time to take the blinkers off. Such clarity will bring clarity in policy which in turn will bring clarity in the story which will make the story more effective. Regardless of who is in power, the Pakistani state needs to ensure absolute consistency and continuity in its approach towards India.

Finally, what to do about the Kashmir issue? We know it is back in international focus, and we also know that it can constitute a solid narrative if done right. We have the world’s attention, so we better utilize it without delay. The story of Kashmir now needs to be rescued from the terribly ineffective state language. The essence of the story remains the same, because facts remain the same.

But how we package it, how we contextualise it and how we explain it in a language that resonates with the world audience today, this all needs to change. There’s more.

According to the UN Security Council resolutions, Kashmir remains a disputed territory. This means under international law, people in Occupied Kashmir have a legitimate right to resist the occupying state and its occupation army. Resistance against an acknowledged occupying state is not terrorism.

It is the inalienable right of the occupied people. Such resistance cannot and must not be equated with Indian-sponsored terror on Pakistani mainland. Our framing should be right.

Pakistan is fully within its rights to not accept the illegal and forceful abrogation of Occupied Kashmir’s autonomy. We are also fully within our rights to provide all help to Kashmiris who are resisting — in every form — the occupation of their land.

This is the story we need to tell. Are we ready?

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025