The loyalty of the mainstream media in India has hardly ever been in doubt. In the aftermath of the Pulwama Terror Attack, it became even more apparent as a concerted attempt was underway to absolve those who share a significant portion of the blame.
India Today, for reasons known best to itself, thought it was a good idea to air the opinions of the father of the suicide bomber who murdered our brave soldiers.
It is interesting to note that although the parents claimed that they were not aware of their son’s terror activities, they were very much aware that he wanted to become a terrorist. In the video, he says, “He was about to appear for his Class 12 examinations. He went to Jammu and never returned.” Then adds, “I had no idea about his terror activities.”
The parents claim that their son wanted to become a terrorist ever since he was supposedly harassed by Indian Armed Forces. “He was beaten by Indian troops a few years back when he was returning from school,” said his mother. “This led to anger in him against Indian troops.” “We searched for him for three months,” she said. “Finally we gave up efforts to bring him back home.”
Therefore, when the father says he wasn’t aware of his son’s terror activities, he presumably means that he did not have any knowledge about his suicide bombing plans, not that he was not aware of his son’s terrorist inclinations.
Hindustan Times, too, confirms this fact. They too try very hard to absolve the parents of their sins.
HT carried the parents’ version of events which blamed a humiliating encounter with the Army for their son’s terrorism. However, as per the same report, it appears that the family has a history of terrorism. The report states, “In 2016, one of his other cousins left home to join militancy and was killed in an encounter with security forces within 11 days. Another cousin who joined militancy and returned home was booked under the Public Safety Act.” Under such circumstances, it appears utterly dishonest for the parents to claim that it was an encounter with the armed forces that turned their son into a Jihadi.
In fact, as per India Today, the parents blamed politicians for their son’s fate. “They should have resolved the issue through dialogue,” he is reported to have said. “It is they who are responsible for driving these youth into militancy. The sons of the common man die here, whether they are Indian troops or our sons.”
It’s despicable for any parent to blame politicians for their child’s actions. Parents are supposed to have and they do have the most influence on the lives of their children. If politicians succeed in turning their children into terrorists against their wishes, then the parents have failed monumentally in their most sacred duty. Blaming politicians for their child’s fate is an abdication of responsibility to avoid culpability in the crimes of their son.
The parents’ remarks and the mainstream media airing it faithfully is a despicable attempt to whitewash the crimes of the family of the terrorist. Terrorism does not exist in a vacuum. Nowhere in the parents’ statements is an admission of guilt, an acknowledgement of their own sins. Instead, they project themselves as victims. It is almost amusing that anytime anywhere a terrorist attack happens, liberal media rushes to interview the parents of the perpetrator, and the parents feign ignorance, blame everything and everyone, but never once acknowledge their own culpability.
The mainstream media appears to be overeager to put martyrs and jihadists on the same plane. It is understandable that parents and family of the martyrs are interviewed and their statements are shared widely in the media. Why on earth are the parents of the terrorist awarded the same courtesy? Do parents of martyrs and terrorists similar treatment? It appears that the immoral mainstream media believes they do. It only goes on to show that much of the mainstream media very much fancy the idea of Azad Kashmir, a Jihadist fantasy.
Not too long ago, The Quint, introduced the world to Osama bin Laden, the ‘husband and father’. It is a regular pattern of behaviour now. In the event of a terrorist attack, its primary objective appears to be to absolve the terrorist’s family of their sins and build a narrative that the Indian Army defending Indian territory is somehow responsible for the death of Indian soldiers. The mainstream media, which has appointed itself the moral guardian of society, cannot distinguish between the family of martyrs and terrorists. Indeed, that it even attempts to put the two on the same pedestal only goes on to show its moral bankruptcy and depravity.
