The impact of fifth-generation warfare in Pakistan
By: Ashir Ali
Tags: Propaganda, Fifth Generation Warfare, Pakistan, Warfare

Introduction

The world has dramatically altered since the arrival of the internet. People’s lives have drastically changed as well. Similarly, the way countries used to fight wars has changed too. There has been a dramatic change in the tactics of fighting wars as well. Over the years, the strategies of fighting wars have been altering time and time again. With the advancement in technology, the strategies of wars have been changing as well. Before the advent of technology, countries would fight wars with the assistance of horses and weapons like spears and swords.

The use of spears and swords in war went obsolete after the arrival of guns. Progressively, countries would make advancements to their military capabilities by inventing fearsome and sophisticated machines. Who would have thought that we would be able to move from one part of the world to another through the use of a thing called an airplane? The answer is nobody. These advancements have led to the change in war tactics as well. Countries have started using fifth-generation warfare as a way to tear apart a nation from within.

Fifth-generation warfare

It is a category of warfare through which countries spread fake news about their adversaries to make them look bad in front of the world. The sole purpose of the use of fifth-generation warfare is to weaken an adversary from within. It causes unrest in the affected countries; violence increases. The economy of the country does not progress as a result. When hundreds of bogus websites spread fake news, people start considering all of this bogus information credible as a result.

It significantly affects the minds of the people that reside within such affected countries as well. It is one of the most economical ways of achieving a specific objective as well.

Situation #1

Let’s learn about hybrid warfare from an example. Country A hates Country B. Therefore, country A launches a propaganda war by spreading fake news about country B. It uses televisions, newspapers, the internet, and other mediums to spread hatred about country B. Country A makes thousands of fake websites whose names resemble the names of international websites. Those websites spread fake news on the internet about country B. Country A recommends the people that reside in country B to read such fake articles through the internet; this manipulates the masses.

Everyone has access to the internet these days. Therefore, spreading fake news and manipulating others has become child’s play at this point. Imagine an average citizen of country B comes across such fake and manipulated articles. They would be manipulated if they come across such articles since these articles are meant to manipulate them. He would believe that the news is authentic and credible even though it is not.

Result

When the resident comes across hundreds and thousands of such fake articles and news, they would think of themselves as the evil ones. The residents of such countries start inculcating contempt and irreverence among themselves for their nation as a result. They start hating their nation as they commence believing these news sources or articles credible. Imagine if all of this is executed on a larger scale. Imagine if a country makes thousands of fake websites to break a nation from within.

Imagine if more than one-third of the population of that country comes across such sham articles and news. They would start raising doubts about their country. They would commence hating their countries as a result; this causes a divide among the nation.

Situation #2

Let’s take a look at the fifth-generation warfare from another example. The roles are the same. Country A hates country B. Country A wants to cause a divide among Country B. Therefore, country A pays some money to some militants to assassinate religious scholars of different sects of country B. When those militants assassinate a religious scholar of one sect, the masses from that sect accuse the other one of this heinous act; this causes a divide between the two sects.

Result

Hence, sectarian violence arises as a result. People from either of these sects start implanting hatred for the other sect. All the reverence converts into disdain as a result. They commence causing damage to each other’s ideologies as a result. All of this further divides a country from within. When a country divides, its unity emasculates as a result. The primary purpose of fifth-generation warfare is to emasculate a country from within. It plays a pivotal role in causing instability in the region.

The impact of fifth-generation warfare in Pakistan

There are a plethora of ways to achieve that sole purpose. Now, you might have been wondering how Pakistan gets affected as a result. What I am about to tell you might shock you. Pakistan has been a victim of fifth-generation warfare for more than fifteen years. Yes, you read it correctly! The European Union Disinfo lab shed light on this fact after they unveiled their research to the masses in late 2020. Before moving further, let’s get ourselves acquainted with the European Union Disinfo lab.

It is an independent organization in the European Union that provides ways to suppress the spread of disinformation and propaganda. The researchers say that India was running a fifteen-year long campaign against Pakistan and China. However, after targeting both of these countries for so long, the primary purpose of this campaign dramatically changed to maligning Pakistan. The sole purpose of doing this was to promote anti-Pakistan feelings in Pakistan and among the world.

Here is a link to the European Union’s article on this topic!

India had made 750+ fake media in more than one hundred countries as a result to malign Pakistan. In addition to that, the country had made more than five hundred sham websites that psychologically as well as economically affected Pakistan. It has been devastating to the economy of the country as well. What would an investor think if they come across such fake news about a country they want to invest in? That is right, they would think more than a thousand times before investing in such a country.

this caused irreversible damage to the economy of the country. When a general citizen comes across such fake websites, they would start hating their country as a result; this tramples national cohesion. When two sects, Shia and Sunni, fight, what happens and who benefits the most? Yup, you are correct! It causes unrest in the nation. Sectarian violence increases. Furthermore, violence increases. Some people even get arrested for causing vandalization. The perpetrator benefits the most from all of this unrest and instability.

Conclusion

Our country has been through a lot. It has been through severe terrorism, yet it keeps moving forward. Similarly, the nefarious and heinous intentions of our adversaries would be overcome as well. We will keep moving forward. We are ready for any reckless misadventure our adversary thinks of executing. We will fight till the last drop of our blood. Before concluding the article, I would like to share the founder of Pakistan’s most well-expressed words: There is no power on earth that can undo Pakistan.