Washington, Sept 13(ANI): The half-page advertisement by Pakistan in a US newspaper, in an attempt to shift what Islamabad feels is an anti-Pakistan portrayal in the American media, is unlikely to be effective in shifting the narrative.
"Which country can do more for your peace? Since 2001, a nation of 180 million has been fighting for the future of the world's 7 billion," said an advertisement published in The Wall Street Journal to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The ad cites a series of statistics, saying that almost 22,000 Pakistani civilians have died or been seriously injured in the fight against terrorism, the army has lost almost 3,000 soldiers, and over 3.5 million people have been displaced by the fighting, while the damage to the economy over the past decade is estimated at 68 billion dollars.
People will quibble with these statistics from a country where reporters often find it difficult to get basic data, The Wall Street Journal said in a report.
"Will the advertisement be effective in shifting the narrative? It's unlikely," it added.
The points raised in the ad, which carries a line at the bottom in small font saying "Government of Pakistan" next to a web address for the government, are all fair enough, the report said, noting that the country has been hammered by suicide bombings by Islamist militants against civilian and army targets.
Still, many in the US and elsewhere are likely to shrug their shoulders, it added.
In America and India, where Pakistan-based militants are viewed as a daily threat to security, many politicians, analysts and ordinary citizens blame Islamabad for failing to stop the export of terrorism and being selective in which Islamist militant groups they go after, the report said.
US defense officials publicly say they are concerned that the country continues to protect Afghan Taliban fighters that do not attack inside Pakistan, but use its soil as a base from which to launch attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.
Many members of Congress and US defense officials say that Islamabad wants to keep ties strong with the Afghan Taliban so it can influence politics in Afghanistan following US troops withdrawal by 2014, the report said.
India blames Pakistan for failing to crack down on Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group that carried out the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, killing over 160 people, and has hit Indian targets in Afghanistan.
The LeT has not carried out any attacks against the Pakistan state, the report noted. (ANI)
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