The real enemy is not each other—it is the ignorance that divides us, the technology that blinds us, and the propaganda that controls us.
Let’s fight for truth, not for nations to dominate, but for people to live and thrive.
By Abdullah Usman Morai
Two Neighbors, One Fire, Many Thirsts
In an age of satellites and smartphones, it is easier than ever to reach people, yet harder than ever to reach their hearts and minds with truth. Nowhere is this paradox more painful than between India and Pakistan—two nations locked in a rivalry that has lasted over seven decades, costing them not just wars and lives, but also education, development, healthcare, and basic dignity for millions of their citizens.
This conflict is no longer waged with guns alone—it’s fought with tweets, deepfakes, doctored videos, and manipulated news. From WhatsApp forwards to primetime shout-fests, falsehoods spread faster than wildfire. The digital battlefield is flooded with misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and propaganda—terms that many don’t even understand, yet are silently infected by every single day.
What makes this even more dangerous is the growing role of Artificial Intelligence, which now supercharges lies to look and sound just like the truth. And caught in the crossfire are ordinary people who, unknowingly, have become a zombie audience—mindlessly consuming and forwarding emotionally charged lies without questioning their source, purpose, or impact.
Meanwhile, the real war—the one against hunger, disease, illiteracy, poverty, and injustice—goes underfunded, ignored, and often ridiculed.
Four Faces of the Same Monster: Know the Weapons of Manipulation
To understand how nations are being psychologically colonized, we must first understand the four key tools of information warfare:
- Misinformation – False content shared without intent to harm, often due to ignorance or haste.
Example: A viral post showing fake images of an alleged border skirmish, forwarded by a user who believed it was true.
- Disinformation – Deliberate lies spread to mislead or incite, usually for political or ideological gain.
Example: Fabricated quotes falsely attributed to political leaders to create outrage or hostility.
- Malinformation – Real information used in a misleading or harmful context.
Example: Sharing a past video of protests as if it happened yesterday, to stir public anger or justify police action.
- Propaganda – Systematic dissemination of biased narratives to shape perception and control public opinion.
Example: Repetitive news coverage demonizing the other country without space for nuance or diplomacy.
These are not abstract terms. They are weapons of mass emotional destruction, and every citizen is a potential victim—and sadly, a potential carrier.
AI: The New Commander of the Disinformation Army
Artificial Intelligence doesn’t just automate processes; it now automates deception. Here’s how:
- Deepfakes and Voice Cloning
AI tools can create videos where leaders appear to say things they never said. A fake war declaration, a fake insult, or a fake apology—all can be generated within minutes and go viral within hours.
- Synthetic Media
AI can generate fake “news” articles, images, or social media posts that appear authentic and appeal to strong emotions like patriotism or fear. Many people can’t tell the difference.
- Bot Armies
AI-run accounts on platforms like X, Facebook, or Instagram flood timelines with the same message, creating a false illusion of consensus or outrage.
- Algorithmic Amplification
AI algorithms prioritize sensational content. A lie that creates anger will often be promoted over the truth that creates understanding, because it gets more engagement.
This is how technology designed to assist human progress is now being weaponized to paralyze critical thinking.
Indo-Pak Digital Cold War: A Battle of Narratives
Both India and Pakistan have, at various times, weaponized information to score political points, distract domestic audiences, or incite nationalism.
Case 1: Pulwama and Balakot (2019)
- After the Pulwama terror attack, doctored images, misleading videos, and AI-fueled fake news flooded Indian social media.
- Bots and trolls quickly labeled all dissent as “anti-national” and flooded feeds with war-mongering content.
- Pakistan countered with its own propaganda, showing staged “proof” of Indian lies and exaggeration.
- Neither side encouraged calm. The goal was emotional manipulation, not truth.
Case 2: Political Elections in India and Pakistan
- Nationalist parties have used anti-Pakistan or anti-India rhetoric to win votes.
- Fabricated videos of Pakistani actors or Indian activists are shared widely before elections.
- Opposing voices are silenced or discredited as “agents” of the other country.
Case 3: Farmers’ Protest and Pakistan Links
- Peaceful Indian protestors were falsely accused of being “funded by Pakistan”.
- AI tools helped amplify these narratives without evidence.
- Meanwhile, the real issues of land rights, farmer suicides, and economic inequality were buried under the noise.
This manipulation keeps the focus on enemies instead of empathy, rage instead of reform.
The Real War: Hunger, Thirst, Sickness, Ignorance
While social media burns with hashtags like #BoycottPakistan or #CrushIndia, the real needs of people are ignored.
- Water Crisis
- In Pakistan, over 21 million people lack access to clean drinking water.
- In India, nearly 160 million lack access to improved sanitation.
- Instead of fixing broken infrastructure, governments often blame the other country to escape accountability.
- Health and Hunger
- Pakistan has some of the highest rates of stunted growth due to malnutrition.
- India remains one of the world’s worst countries for child malnutrition, with millions of children underweight or wasted.
- Both countries spend billions on defense, while basic hospitals lack oxygen, beds, and medicine.
- Unemployment and Education
- Youth in both countries face joblessness, outdated curricula, and poor-quality education.
- Social divisions—based on caste, religion, or ethnicity—further block progress.
- But war sells better than welfare on screens.
The Zombie Audience: Why the People Must Wake Up
The problem isn’t just the lie. It’s also the audience that consumes it passively, shares it mindlessly, and believes it blindly.
Social media has turned too many into zombie citizens:
- We forward posts without checking the source.
- We believe headlines without reading the full article.
- We amplify hate because it makes us feel righteous.
- We reject nuance because outrage is easier.
This is not just lazy. It’s dangerous.
We must ask:
- Who benefits from my anger?
- Whose agenda am I helping by forwarding this video?
- Why am I so quick to believe something that makes me hate someone else?
Propaganda needs you to be lazy. Don’t be a zombie. Be awake, be alive, be alert.
Solutions: What Can Be Done?
- Fact-Checking Must Be National Policy
Governments must support independent, transparent, and non-partisan fact-checking organizations and embed them into national newsrooms, schools, and civil society.
- Digital Literacy in Schools and Colleges
Youth must learn how to question, verify, and analyze. Critical thinking should be taught as rigorously as math.
- Ethical AI and Accountability
Tech companies must be legally obligated to:
- Label AI-generated content
- Demote manipulated media
- Cooperate with government watchdogs and civil society groups
- Cross-Border Civil Dialogue
People-to-people diplomacy, educational exchanges, and art-based dialogue can do what armies cannot—heal wounds and create empathy.
- Support Peace Journalism
We need media outlets that promote solutions, not just scream matches. Funding must go to journalism that builds bridges.
Moral and Ethical Wake-Up Call
We must stop treating lies as entertainment and start seeing truth as our collective duty.
We must refuse to be tools in the hands of those who profit from fear.
And most importantly, we must stop asking, “What did the other side do to us?” and start asking, “What are we doing to our own people while chasing vengeance?”
Because while we fight over pixels, real people are dying of preventable diseases, drowning in floods, or going to sleep hungry.
Conclusion: From False Battles to Shared Dreams
India and Pakistan share borders, rivers, and centuries of history. They also share the burden of poverty, inequality, and misgovernance.
Their people don’t need more weapons—they need wells, books, vaccines, jobs, and hope.
It’s time to stop being passive victims of propaganda. It’s time to stop being zombie audiences who confuse hate with patriotism. No hashtag can replace humanity. No video—real or fake—should steal our power to think.
The real enemy is not each other—it is the ignorance that divides us, the technology that blinds us, and the propaganda that controls us.
Let’s fight for truth, not for nations to dominate, but for people to live and thrive.
Read – Digital Age: Social Media Analysis
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Abdullah Soomro, penname Abdullah Usman Morai, hailing from Moro town of Sindh, province of Pakistan, is based in Stockholm Sweden. Currently he is working as Groundwater Engineer in Stockholm Sweden. He did BE (Agriculture) from Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam and MSc water systems technology from KTH Stockholm Sweden as well as MSc Management from Stockholm University. Beside this he also did masters in journalism and economics from Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Mirs, Sindh. He is author of a travelogue book named ‘Musafatoon’. His second book is in process. He writes articles from time to time. A frequent traveler, he also does podcast on YouTube with channel name: VASJE Podcast.
