The foreign policies of the two South Asian neighbors, India and Pakistan, have some unique characteristic features. Analyzing both critically we can term the foreign policy of India as one of the best in the world and that of Pakistan as one the worst. As propaganda and lobbying have been, and are important and effective tools of translating and materializing the foreign policy of a state,  so they are greatly relied upon and used by the sates in their international intercourses. For this, states use different media and other diplomatic channels.Due to massive and successful state propaganda, India which was once known as a usurper and persecutor in the world community for its illegal occupation of Kashmir, and committing grave atrocities there, is now recognized as a great champion of democracy and a victim of terrorism.The way India put Pakistan on the defensive after 9/11 and 26/11 incidents is simply artful and skillful. Without any concrete and credible proof of the involvement in the 2008, Mumbai attacks, it has, through propaganda in the national and international media, blamed and accused Pakistan for it. On the other hand, we have failed to communicate and propagate our viewpoint to the world on the important issues such as Kashmir, Afghanistan and the continuous drone attacks and highlighting our anti-terrorism commitments and contributions. The loss of thousands of our citizens is ignored, no one hears us and no one believe us.That is all because of our poor and dismal foreign policy in general and ineffective and weak propaganda in particular. Despite the very fact that there are some clear evidences and information of the Indian involvement in the terrorist attacks across the country especially in Balochistan, Swat and Northern Areas, we have failed to formally communicate or protest for all this at any forum in the world. We don’t even name the perpetrators openly. The successive in-camera sessions of the parliament held to inform the parliamentarians the real state of affairs regarding terrorism is one glaring example of it.Now, it’s time for us to revisit, redefine and reformulate our overall state and foreign policy. Instead of being apologetic and defensive, we should employ proactive and effective instruments of communications and propaganda (learning from India). We should protect our national sovereignty and national interest at all cost by ignoring all outside pressures and considerations. All diplomatic channels should be exhausted besides using national and international media to propagate our viewpoint by rationalising our national and international standings.MOHSIN RAZA MALIK, Lahore, September 10.

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