War and lies

THE suspension of disbelief required to follow the Indian media these days must qualify as an extreme sport. One imagines viewers needing a cup of tea and a lie-down afterwards, if only to reorient with reality.

Consider, for example, the breathless ‘coverage’ that has been aired by several Indian news channels regarding their military’s campaign against Pakistan. During Thursday night’s transmissions, one claimed that Islamabad had fallen, another that Peshawar had been bombed; one that Lahore was in the crosshairs of Indian tanks...