Rana Ayyub was recently invited at the ASPEN Institute to speak on India and Changing world order. But all she did was spew hatred for India and said anything and everything that can potentially tarnish India’s image globally.
Intriguing panelists were also present.
But who was the one hosting the entire panel? For some reasons they won’t tell, the ASPEN Institute was able to find a Pakistani-origin journalist and PBS Newshour anchor Amna Nawaz. And Amna has an interesting background.
Amna hails from a Pak-army family. Her father, Shuja Nawaz, brother of late Asif Nawaz (Ex-Chief of Army Staff), didn’t serve in army. Instead, he’s a journalist and political consultant tied to military affairs in Pakistan.
Shuja Nawaz has had an illustrious career of his own. He is a former Director of South Asia Center at Atlantic Council (2009). He has worked at RAND, International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna (1999-2001), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, and the IMF.
Nawaz was a Pakistan TV newscaster (1967-72), covering the ’71 Indo-Pak war resulting in Pakistan’s humiliation, where his brother, Asif, also fought. Asif was in the ’65 & ’71 wars, both humiliating losses for Pakistan.
The pain must be real!
Who were other panellists at ASPEN? Joseph Nye, ASPEN Strategy Groups’ co-chair, has a long interest in India. Sent to India in ’77 to discuss nuclear issues, he stated at the event, “Indians have long feared China, hence their need for the US”.
Ex-NSA of India, Shivshankar Menon, also a Visiting Professor at Ashoka University, was another panelist at the event with Rana Ayyub. Curious why such a respected figure would lend credibility to Ayyub’s constant attempts to tarnish India’s image.
Nirupama Rao, an IFS officer (1976 batch), was India’s ambassador in China & USA, and Foreign Secy in MEA. She narrowly escaped a 1996 MRTA rebel attack in Peru. Remarkably, someone with such crucial roles doesn’t shy from sharing a stage with biased propagandists.
Lastly, Why do journalists of Pakistani origin often feature in events on India? Recently, Wall Street Journal’s Sabrina Siddiqui, of Pakistani origin, sparked controversy by being the sole journalist to question Indian Prime Minister last month.
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread posted by @RadicalWatchOrg on July 21, 2023, with minor edits to improve readability and conform to HinduPost style guide)