On May 3, 2013, Sarabjit Singh’s state funeral in Bhikiwind brought India to a standstill, or so you would think if you went by what the Indian media were churning out. Since a few days earlier, we had been bombarded with images of his prostate body in hospital. Images which were accompanied by news reports – in print and on TV – claiming Pakistani betrayal and a breakdown of diplomatic relations.  The funeral of “the spy who died in an enemy country” was shown from every possible camera angle. Every emotion, every tear, every bereaved face was captured live and up close.

In Pakistan, where the “brave son” lost his life after a brutal attack by his fellow inmates in Kot Lakhpat Jail, however, it was just another day. An Indian “spy” dying in Pakistan and being cremated with full state honours is fodder enough for Pakistan’s media to dish out stories to suit popular sensibilities. The Pakistani media, though – especially the print media – chose to keep a check on its tone and tenor. A cursory reading of the headlines and articles published in Pakistani newspapers on the day of the cremation and the following day shows a great degree of objectivity and restraint. Traits which were missing from the Indian news reports..

Apart from the headlines, even the articles simply reported on Sarabjit’s death while staying away from hyperbole and drama. As the day progressed, while Indian websites continued to narrate every minute detail of the event, the story went down the run order in Pak media. What also set apart Pakistani media was the fact that instead of hollow jingoism they chose to introspect and focused on detailed reporting. Here are some examples.

According to Dawn: “The death of Sarabjit Singh on Thursday should be taken by Pakistan’s prison administrations as a wake-up call — they should be forced to review their treatment of prisoners who may be at risk because of the nature of their crime or their identity.”

Pakistan’s Express Tribune delivered a withering attack on the Pakistani state. “Not only were Singh’s rights as a prisoner violated but the inaction of jail authorities exposes the conditions of Pakistani jails. Strict action must be taken against those police officials who were responsible for Singh’s security. Prison brawls are not uncommon in our country but we rarely hear of any action being taken against the jail authorities. The government must ensure that a transparent investigation takes place and jail authorities are taken to task.”

This report in Dawn got all 5Ws and 1H of attack on Sarabjit.“Singh was attacked by two fellow inmates — Amir Tanba and Mudasir — in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on Friday afternoon when he was outside his cell for a routine walk along with other inmates also sentenced to death. Two armed jail wardens — Adnan and Safdar — were also present on the spot and tried to stop the attackers.  Neither of the wardens could protect him and were themselves injured in the process. Meanwhile, Singh was brutally attacked with bricks and iron rods, which the assaulters accessed from sewerage lines under construction.”

Even the attack on Sanaulla Haq, the Pakistani prisoner who was attacked in a Jammu jail – apparently as a backlash to Sarabjit’s death – did not raise the tempers or alter their style of reporting. No immediate judgments, no declaration of “sever all ties with India”, no demand from the government to take tough action against India. They made it a point to highlight the fact that the Indian government was cooperating with Pakistani diplomats and was providing them access to the injured prisoner and that the two countries were cooperating with each other.

The Pakistani media took utmost care in their choice of words to describe Sarabjit. He was either referred to as an“Indian spy” or “Indian prisoner on death row in Pakistani jail”. Infact, some news channels had received instructions regarding the descriptors to use in reference to Sarabjit. Geo News was told by its editorial board not to use the word “terrorist” to describe him.

On this side of the border, though, as opposed to the Pakistani restraint, Indian websites and newspapers chose to play up the emotional quotient of the incident.  Here are some of the headlines which appeared in India:

The Times of India

 ‘Sarabjit Singh butchered by our enemies’

Sarabjit Singh’s death abject failure of Pakistan, Manish Tewari says

Madhya Pradesh government fumes over Sarabjit Singh’s death (We wonder why Madhya Pradesh government was fuming and why it was highlighted in the headline)

India reacts with anger, dismay over Sarabjit Singh’s death in Pakistan.

Hindustan Times

Sarabjit Singh was killed by religious fanatics: Awais Sheikh

Nation’s “martyr” Sarabjit Singh cremated with full state honours

Sarabjit Singh laid to rest, Pak man attacked in Jammu jail (“Pak man”?? Brilliant way with words)

IBN Live

India angered over Sarabjit’s death in Pakistan, BJP targets Centre

Pakistan gets into damage control mode after Sarabjit’s death

NDTV

Rahul Gandhi’s emotional meeting with Sarabjit Singh’s family (Aren’t we taught in journalism to junk redundant words. Why was the word “emotional” necessary?)

While the Pakistani media chose to report on Sarabjit’s death in a matter-of-fact manner, the Indian media went into a frenzy of quoting people who would give them the perfect eye-catching headline.

So why this restraint by the Pakistani media? Can it just be written down to them exercising better judgment, or is there more to the judicious news reports and headlines than meets the eye? We spoke to some Pakistan analysts to get their views.

The Pakistan analysts and experts we spoke to were divided on declaring the Pakistani media as less aggressive than their Indian counterparts, and were also hesitant to call the Indian media “jingoistic”. “The use of the word jingoistic is misplaced. At best you can say that in the case of Sarabjit’s death the Indian media took a strident stand, and there is nothing wrong in that”, says Sushant Sareen, Consultant, Pakistan Project at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. He also said that the reason that Pakistan chose to underplay the issue was because it is election time in Pakistan. “Things need to be put into perspective in this context. The Pakistan media was not very keen on the Sarabjit story because of elections there. Sarabjit was just a side-show for them. If it had not happened around the election time, you would have seen a very different reaction from them.”

Another Pakistan analyst, Parvez Ahmed said that the Pakistani media was not only objective but also humane in its coverage. “The Pakistan media stood by Sarabjit. They exposed those who killed him, they demanded punishment for all who had attacked him. We didn’t see the same maturity in Indian media.”

The rationale behind playing up some incidents, while underplaying others of the same nature also needs to be understood. In Sushant Sareen’s view, “The shrill reportage by the Indian media was because it was a matter of public interest. The same media didn’t raise any hue and cry when Chamel Singh died. In fact, Chamel Singh’s body was handed over after one or two weeks of his death. The media only plays up issues which strike a chord with the people”.While government job offers, compensation money and a funeral with a state honour were given to Sarabjit Singh’s family by both the state government and the Centre, Chamel Singh’s family received nothing from the government. Not that the media thought this was worth reporting on.

It’s important to also note that while giving detailed coverage to Sarabjit’s death, the Indian media didn’t choose to place emphasis on the other strands of the same story. Why did we not bother to turn the spotlight on ourselves and report on how Indian prisons treat Pakistani prisoners? Why did we not ask the MEA questions about how India plans on dealing with the issue of inhuman treatment of prisoners in both countries? Why did the media lap up Rahul Gandhi’s “emotional” moments with Sarabjit’s family and not question Rahul for never raising the issue of Sarabjit being released before?

With wailing, crying, killings, funerals, politicians and a sea of bemused junta watching the theatrics – perspective, analysis and facts seem to have become incidental. Till the next time another such incident happens and Indian media finds its “it” moment, and allows Pakistani media to take the higher ground, watch the Peepli Live trailer.