India on Wednesday said that it had carried out ‘surgical strikes’ in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to target terrorist camps located on that side of the border. Unnamed sources claimed that at least 38 alleged terrorists had been killed in the strike.
Pakistan instantly refuted the claim and said that the operation was an illusion being created by India and said only two soldiers had been killed in cross-border firing.
So on Thursday, while newspapers in India covered the strike with screaming headlines celebrating it, their counterparts in Pakistan had very contrasting headlines.
These tweets highlighted it:
आज #भारतीय अखबार बनाम #पाकिस्तानी अखबार
Today’s #India #Newspapers vs #Pakistan papers#IndiaStrikesBack #SurgicalStrike #ModiPunishesPak pic.twitter.com/mxe9HEcyr8— Nish@nt Goel (@Sadakchapp) September 30, 2016
Given the narratives in the two nations were so different, it’s hardly a surprise that the newspapers mirrored it too.
The Indian media outlets revealed details of the strikes, the units of the armed forces who had carried it out and the precision with which it was done. In contrast, Pakistani media outlets reported about how the entire exercise was a farce and attributed various motives to the announcement.
The reasons ranged from the BJP wanting to win state elections to wanting to appease calls for vengeance after the Uri terror attack.