Former Indian Ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf, has raised concerns about the Western media’s portrayal of India-Pakistan hostilities, specifically highlighting how unverified claims about the downing of Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale jets by Pakistan gained traction in prominent Anglo-Saxon outlets.

According to Ashraf, this narrative was not only premature and lacking factual confirmation but also appeared to target the French-made Rafale aircraft, which competes with American and other Western fighters in the global defence market. He suggested that commercial interests-stemming from the intense competition between Dassault’s Rafale and US-made jets like the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-16-may have influenced the Western media’s emphasis on these unsubstantiated stories.

Ashraf’s comments come in the context of India’s recent approval to purchase 26 additional Rafale fighter jets for its Navy, following a previous acquisition of 36 Rafales for the Air Force. The decision to select the Rafale over US and Swedish competitors underscores the high stakes in the international fighter jet market, where media narratives can impact perceptions and, potentially, procurement decisions.

Several analyses and commentators have echoed Ashraf’s concerns, noting a persistent pattern of bias in Western media coverage of India-Pakistan conflicts. Reports often frame India’s military actions as escalatory while downplaying or omitting Pakistan’s role in fostering terrorism and the context of Indian operations.

For example, Western outlets such as The New York Times, BBC, and CNN have been criticized for emphasizing civilian casualties in Pakistan and amplifying Pakistani claims-such as the alleged shooting down of Indian jets-without adequate verification, while giving less prominence to India’s stated objectives or evidence.

This pattern is rooted in longstanding geopolitical alignments. During the Cold War, the US and UK viewed Pakistan as a strategic ally against Soviet influence, shaping a legacy of Western media narratives that often tilt in Pakistan’s favour. This has resulted in selective framing and omission of context, such as underreporting Pakistan’s provocations or infiltration during conflicts like Kargil, and focusing disproportionately on unverified Pakistani claims in more recent crises.

Moreover, the commercial rivalry in the global arms market adds another layer to these narratives. The Rafale’s success as an export product for France-having been chosen by India over US and Swedish competitors-means that negative media coverage, especially unverified stories about its performance in combat, could serve the interests of rival manufacturers.

Ambassador Ashraf’s observations point to a convergence of historical bias, strategic interests, and commercial competition influencing Western media coverage of India-Pakistan military engagements. The amplification of unverified claims about the IAF’s Rafales being shot down not only distorts the factual record but may also reflect broader commercial and geopolitical interests at play in the international defence sector.

Based On UNI Report