Pakistan’s empire of lies: From Jaffar Express hijacking to Kargil and beyond

The recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has once again exposed the Pakistani establishment’s habit of distorting reality to fit its carefully crafted narratives. On March 11, 2025, BLA fighters intercepted the Jaffar Express in the Bolan area of Balochistan, taking around 450 passengers hostage, including Pakistan Army soldiers and intelligence personnel.

The BLA, in its official statement, claimed to have released all civilian hostages while retaining military personnel, emphasising that their struggle is against the Pakistani state, not innocent civilians. Even the released hostages admitted to this fact as videos went viral on social media of their release.

However, the Pakistani establishment immediately launched a propaganda campaign, falsely claiming that its security forces had conducted a successful operation to rescue the hostages. This blatant misinformation follows a well-worn pattern of deception designed to mislead the domestic populace and international community alike.

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In the same case, Pakistan accuses India’s hand behind the train hijacking, which has been denied by New Delhi, asking Islamabad to introspect, calling Pakistan the “epicentre of global terrorism”.

This incident is not an isolated case of Pakistan’s deception to hide the facts of events. It is merely the latest chapter in Pakistan’s long history of manufacturing falsehoods to cover up its failures. The Pakistani military and intelligence apparatus have repeatedly misled their own citizens, downplaying defeats, disowning their own soldiers, and manipulating media to project a façade of strength and control.

The 1999 Kargil War serves as one of the most egregious examples of the Pakistani military’s disinformation tactics. Pakistani soldiers, primarily from the Northern Light Infantry, were sent to infiltrate Indian positions in the Kargil region under the guise of Kashmiri militants. Despite clear evidence of its military involvement, Pakistan’s leadership, including then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, vehemently denied any role in the conflict. This lie persisted for over two decades within the Pakistan establishment’s discourse that was aimed at deceiving not only the world but also the families of the soldiers who had perished.

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It was only in September 2024 that finally Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, finally acknowledged the military’s direct involvement in the Kargil War, posthumously honouring the soldiers who had died. The delayed admission, however, did little to heal the wounds of the families who had long been denied the recognition and compensation they deserved. Many soldiers were buried in unmarked graves, and their families were left in the dark, illustrating the extent of the Pakistani establishment’s betrayal of its own people.

Similarly, the US Navy SEAL operation in Abbottabad in 2011, which resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden, was one of Pakistan’s greatest humiliations. The fact that the world’s most wanted terrorist had been living in a secure compound less than a mile from a major Pakistani military academy raised serious questions about whether the country’s intelligence services were complicit or simply incompetent. The Pakistani establishment, instead of addressing these concerns, launched a cover-up operation. They suppressed media coverage, arrested informants who had helped the US and attempted to rewrite history by portraying themselves as unwitting bystanders.

The embarrassment was further compounded when a 2013 leaked report by the Abbottabad Commission accused the military and ISI of “gross incompetence” and a deliberate failure to act. Despite these findings, the establishment refused to take responsibility, instead blaming US forces for the raid.

Another recent glaring example of the Pakistani military’s information manipulation occurred during the recent Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack on an army cantonment in the Bannu region of Khyber Pakhtunwa province on March 5, 2025. Official reports from the military-controlled media claimed that only five soldiers had died in the attack.

However, independent reports and eyewitness testimonies exposed the ISPR lies, as the actual number of casualties was significantly higher, exceeding a dozen. This deliberate underreporting was meant to maintain the illusion that Pakistan’s security forces had the situation under control, even as insurgency and militancy continue to thrive within its borders.

Perhaps the most damning evidence of Pakistan’s propaganda machinery is its stranglehold on the press. There is no true press freedom in Pakistan; independent journalism is virtually non-existent. The country ranks among the worst globally in press freedom indices, with journalists routinely harassed, abducted, and even killed for reporting facts that contradict the official narrative.

Pakistan’s mainstream media operates under the tight grip of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing. Journalists are reduced to reporting directly from ISPR handouts, unable to investigate or challenge official claims. Any attempt to diverge from the state-sanctioned narrative results in swift repercussions, including censorship, dismissal from jobs, or even forced disappearances.

The ongoing Jaffar Express hijacking coverage, thereby is no exception. Pakistani media parroted the ISPR’s version of events without questioning its validity, reinforcing the fabricated narrative that security forces had conducted a heroic rescue. Independent journalists and analysts who dared to present alternate perspectives are either being silenced or ignored.

Baluchistan remains one of the most heavily militarised and repressed regions in Pakistan. Reports of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and systematic oppression of Baloch activists, journalists, and students are well-documented by human rights organisations. However, the Pakistani government continues to deny these allegations, branding them as “foreign propaganda”.

Families of missing persons routinely hold protests demanding answers, yet the state remains silent, offering no transparency or justice. Instead of addressing the genuine grievances of the Baloch people, the Pakistani establishment resorts to outright censorship, intimidation, and violence to quell dissent.

The Pakistani establishment’s reliance on propaganda and deception is not just a strategy; it is a fundamental characteristic of its governance. From abandoning its own soldiers in Kargil to covering up militant attacks and suppressing media freedom, Pakistan’s ruling elite has built an empire of lies designed to maintain its grip on power.

By controlling the flow of information, Pakistan’s military and intelligence apparatus ensures that the public remains ignorant of the truth. This systematic misinformation not only betrays the trust of the Pakistani people but also perpetuates a cycle of instability and repression. Until Pakistan breaks free from this web of deceit, it will continue to be a nation where truth is subjugated, dissent is silenced, and reality is dictated by those in uniform.

For the international community, recognising and exposing Pakistan’s propaganda tactics is crucial in holding the country accountable. Without transparency, accountability, and press freedom, Pakistan will remain a state that thrives on deception while its people suffer under the weight of misinformation and unfulfilled promises.

Raja Muneeb is an independent journalist and columnist. He can be reached at raja.muneeb@gmail.com and tweets @rajamuneeb. The views expressed in this article are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.