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National Image: A Case Study of Pakistan in the Global War on Terror

By

Kashaf Imran

BPA 2019

Supervisor

Dr. Farah Naz

Department of Governance and Public Policy

School of Social Sciences and Humanities

National University of Sciences and Technology

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, we thank Allah Almighty, the most merciful and the most gracious, for giving

me health, strength and the ability to conduct this research up to the standard I had set for myself.

I would like to thank my parents for the encouragement, support and the opportunities that they

provided me with. Especially to my father,I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude

for having my back in every situation, for taking me to various locations to conduct interviews

and for sharing valuable resources with me. A wholehearted thankyou to my supervisor, Dr.

Farah Naz, Assistant Professor, Department of Government and Public Policy, who helped me

throughout the course of research in all ways possible and was responsible for providing mes

with the direction to myr research. I would like to start by paying myr gratitude to Dr. Uzair

Hashmi, Head of Department, Government and Public Policy, who provided students with a

thorough learning environment in such a short period of time. Furthermore, I would like to show

my appreciation to Dr. Ashfaque Hassan Khan, Principal NUST School of Social Sciences and

Humanities, for providing students with a platform like S3H through which I was able to

exercise this research project. Lastly I would like to thank my senior Moiz Sial for guiding me

and helping me throughout my research.

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Abstract 4
Chapter 1: Introduction 6
Chapter 2: Literature Review 10
2.1 National Image 10
2.2 National Image of Pakistan 10
2.3 Terrorism 11
2.4 UN’s attempt to define terrorism 12
2.5 Academic definition of Terrorism 13
2.7 Terrorism in Pakistan 14
2.8 Event of 911 15
2.9 Impact of 911 on Pakistan 18
2.10 Public opinion of Pakistanis 20
2.11 Global War on Terror 20
2.12 Scope of the Global War on Terror 21
2.13 Pakistan during Global War on Terror 22
2.13.1 Drone Attacks 23
2.13.2 Fake Vaccination Cases 24
2.13.3 Suicide Bombing 24
2.14 Impact of the Global War on Terror on Pakistan 25
Chapter 3 Research Methodology 26
3.1 Justification 26
3.2 Variables 27
3.2.1 Independent variable 27
3.2.2 Dependent variable 27
3.3 Research Questions 28
3.3.1 Main Research Question 28
3.3.2 Questions from notable references 28
3.3.3 Questions for gathering public opinion 29
3.4 Data Collection 29
3.4.1 Primary Data 30
3.4.2 Secondary Data 31
3.4.3 MOOC Courses 32
3.5 Research Gap 32
Chapter 4 Research Findings 34
4.1 International Perception of Pakistan 34
4.2 Impact of Pakistan’s policies during GWOT on National Image 36
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4.3 Role of India in tarnishing Pakistan’s image during GWOT 43

4.4 Key elements in policy designing for rebuilding the national image 46
Chapter 5 Research Analysis 54
5.1 Perception of Pakistan 54
5.2 Impact of Pakistan’s policies during GWOT on National Image 55
5.3 Role of India in Tarnishing National Image of Pakistan 57
5.4 Key elements in Policy designing for national image building 58
Chapter 6 Recommendations and Conclusion 60
6.1 Way forward for Pakistan to rebuild its tarnished image 60
6.2 Policy Recommendations 63
6.2.1 Strengthening Education Sector 63
6.2.2 Trust building between state and civil society 64
6.2.3 Promoting Academia 64
6.2.4 Emphasizing nation building 65
6.2.5 United efforts for eradication of terrorist activities 65
6.2.6 Policy of self reliance 65
6.2.7 Credible media 66
6.3 Conclusion 66
References 69
Appendix 79
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Abstract

The national image of any country plays a crucial role in its survival and sustainability. It serves

as the backbone for the state's prosperity and progress. A positive national image guarantees the

state's well-being, while a negative image can drag it into a quagmire of failures. This situation

holds for Pakistan, a country facing numerous crises. One of the key reasons behind these crises

is the tarnished national image of Pakistan. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on devising policies

to rebuild and improve Pakistan's national image.

The research aims to critically analyze the policies implemented during the pre and post-era of

the Global War on Terror to identify the policy factors pertinent to investigating Pakistan's

national image. Since joining the global war on terror, Pakistan has encountered various

challenges, including a negative perception on a global scale, as the world often associates

Pakistan and its citizens with terrorism. Although neither Pakistan nor its people were directly

involved in the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan provided its soil for conducting military operations against

the militants hiding in Afghanistan who were involved in the 9/11 attacks.

An in-depth literature review has been conducted to analyze the national image of Pakistan.

Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with diverse participants, including

government officials, intellectuals, academicians, and experts.

This research is expected to shed light on the underlying factors that have contributed to

Pakistan's national image issues. The findings will serve as a foundation for formulating effective

policies to improve and rebuild Pakistan's image domestically and internationally. Ultimately,

this research aims to pave the way for a brighter future for Pakistan, where its national image can

be restored, and the country can thrive globally.

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Keywords: national image, global war on terror, Pakistan, policy failures

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Chapter 1: Introduction

As a country's vital intangible asset, national image is the centerpiece and an essential

expression of its soft power. (Meng, 2020)

Emphasizing what Meng, 2020 stated above, the national image or soft image of any country is

like the backbone of its prosperity. National Image and how a country is perceived globally

significantly impacts its international relations, global standing, tourism, security, economic and

foreign relations. Pakistan's national image suffers significantly due to internal weakness, policy

failures, involvement in terrorism, and various other factors. Dr. Sheikh, in an interview with

Nadir Cheema, stated:

"It is, of course, a very complex exercise, projecting an image. The complexity stems from the

fact that there are competing centers of power in Pakistan, all of whom have very different

visions of what kind of image Pakistan ought to project internationally. If you take the political

classes, the elected government, for example, the emphasis, exceptionally since 2008, would be

to try to project an image of the country as one which is genuinely engaged in the process of

democratic transformation, of a country that highly values the ideals of liberal modernity,

without of course compromising its Islamic identity (although even that Islamic identity is often

cast by sections of the political classes as a modern identity, one that can accommodate ideas

that might be considered broadly progressive). It is no secret that the security establishment, led

by the military, is principally involved with the international security narrative, projecting this

image of Pakistan as a complex, resilient state primarily concerned with the defense of its
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frontiers and questions of national sovereignty. Moreover, that image then tends increasingly to

convey the picture of a highly militarized country. You have these two opposites.

Moreover, in between, we have an extensive range of images being projected by what is broadly

called the civil society of Pakistan in the process of significant social transformation. The

emphasis here is broadly on a country prepared to take its place in the international community

of nations as liberal and forward-looking… along the lines that many within sections of civil

society believe that Mr. Jinnah was interested in projects." (Cheema, 2017)

It is due to factors like political instability, militarization, terrorism, policy failures,

extremism, and involvement with the Taliban that have negatively impacted the image and

perception of Pakistan internationally and in the global community. However, analyzing

Pakistan's image and creating perception has challenged analysts, thinkers, and academicians

tremendously. This is so because international media portrays Pakistan as a terrorist state, but

upon visiting Pakistan, individuals find the state to be friendly with its people to be hospitable. In

the preface of his book "Reimagining Pakistan," Hussain Haqqani mentions multiple perceptions

of Pakistan by the international community. One of the most prominent perceptions mentioned in

the book was by Richard Leiby, a Washington Post reporter. After spending one year in Pakistan,

Leiby, in his interview, mentioned that "Pakistanis are pious, warm and hospitable people."

Leiby also mentioned that the bad news about Pakistan was not untrue either. Leiby emphasized

that simple Pakistan suffers and pays the price of its leaders' mistakes (Ḥaqqānī, 2018). Daniel

Markey, in his book No Exit from Pakistan, presented the following four perceptions of Pakistan:

1. Elite dominated basket case of a country mired in repressive tradition, making sure a tiny

number have possessed a great deal of power and wealth while others don't
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2. Pakistan is a garrison state that controls the military to dictate national politics.

3. Terrorist incubator nations suffer from the cancerous growth of violent ideologies.

4. Youthful idealist reform-minded ambition of the population

(Markey, 2013)

One of the most pertinent causes behind the tarnishing of Pakistan's national image is its

association with terrorism. The image further got tarnished due to Pakistan's participation in the

Global War on Terrorism, a war started by the USA after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade

Center. Ever Since 9/11, Pakistan has developed a new identity on the global radar as a hotbed of

terrorism (Ahmad, 2013). Post 911, Pakistan's image abroad has been dramatically tarnished

despite the country's great successes in the anti-terror war and participation in global

peacekeeping efforts under the UN aegis. (Masood, 2018). The irony is that the countries which

are actually behind terrorism in Pakistan blame Islamabad for terrorism and try to throw dust in

the eyes of the world. Pakistan being the biggest cost-bearer of terrorism, sacrificing above

eighty thousand lives in the past, remained unable to deliver its message appropriately to the

world. (Nasir, 2021).

This dissertation explores how Pakistan's participation in the Global War on Terror

tarnished its already fragile image, particularly by focusing on internal and external factors.

Internal factors include lawlessness, the weak rule of law, political instability, civil-military

musical chair, suicide bombing, drone attacks, Economic weakness, social weakness,

lawlessness, lack of seeking public opinion, and judicial weakness. Key events among such

factors include lack of seeking public opinion, particularly when "Musharraf needed not to ask if

they agreed to his decision-However, he could have asked about their opinion regarding the
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seven demands he received from Americans. This way, he could have understood what was

acceptable and what was not on a national level" (Yamin, 2015). Moving further, talking about

judicial weakness, not a single legislation act was made after 911 to prevent terrorist activities,

and this negligence provided opportunities for global terrorist org to establish their financial and

personal network in Pakistan, especially in FATA(Roomi, 2018). Incidents like the Laal Masjid

attack are an important internal factor that played its role in labeling Pakistan as a terrorist state.

The Laal Masjid incident occurred on June 24, 2007 mission to attack Chinese Massage Center

students of Laal Masjid, known as the amr-bil-maroon gang-spreading image of religious places

used by fundamentalists and terrorists as hideouts(Warraich, 2021).

Regarding external factors, India played an important role in destroying the national

image of Pakistan by projecting Pakistan as an epicenter of terrorism (Salik, 2020).

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Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 National Image

National Image refers to the public's perception or opinion of a nation, illustrating how the

general public perceives a country and its citizens. It is the impression that both its citizens and

people from other countries have of a country. It encompasses the reputation, mental image, and

notion that are now linked with or recognized about a nation (Okoroafor & Dike, 2010). Kotler

(et al., 2002, p.141) define the country's image or national image of a country as the volume of a

diverse range of opinions that people hold regarding a particular nation (Saliu, 2017).

National Image and National Identity are essential concepts that, according to Huddy and

Khatib (2007), describe a subjective or internalized sense of belonging to the nation (Hase,

2021). For any country, national image is like its national brand, according to Zhang et al. (2012,

p.77) is dependent upon public diplomacy, international relations, and international perception

(Saliu, 2017). According to Meng(2020), national image is for any country an intangible asset

and a centerpiece for its soft power(Meng, 2020). This is so because the behavior and activities

of the people of any nation go a long way in defining their national image (Okoroafor & Dike,

2010). In the 21st century, a country's survival is only possible with a full national image on a

global scale. Therefore, according to Hu et al. (2020), National image building (NIB) has

become a critical strategy in public diplomacy(Hu et al., 2020).

2.2 National Image of Pakistan

Pakistan suffers from issues with its national identity and its perception of the global world.

Apart from political instability, weak governance, and a lethargic judiciary, terrorism-related
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issues have significantly tarnished Pakistan's national image and global perception. Maliha Lodhi

claims that Pakistan has historically struggled with issues with its worldwide reputation and

national image, partly because of misrepresentations and intentional distortions and partly

because of actual circumstances (Lodhi et al., 2021). Whenever and wherever there is an act of

terrorism, Pakistan is linked in one way or another. According to a Pakistan-focused survey

presented in The Economist, "Think about Pakistan, and you might get terrified. Few countries

have so much potential to cause trouble regionally and worldwide." (Ahmad, 2013).

Furthermore, Pakistan's placement on FATF greylist over three years due to allegations of

terror financing and money laundering (KHATTAK, 2023) significantly tarnished Pakistan's

national image and global perception. The poor standing on the global radar and its tarnished

image has placed Pakistan under significant diplomatic challenges. Building a solid national

image globally is a need of the hour for Pakistan to have positive international relevance.

2.3 Terrorism

Terrorism is a global and deadly phenomenon, and the word is often used, almost making

headlines daily. The word "terrorism" is derived from the Latin verb "terror," meaning to tremble

(Bakker & Zuijdewijn, 2023). According to Schmid (2011), terrorism is a highly politicized

term. Moreover, according to Start(2019), terrorism is defined as "the threatened or actual use of

illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to achieve a political, economic, religious, or

social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation" by the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), one

of the most comprehensive databases on terrorist incidents. (Hase, 2021). Political agendas at the

national and international levels have prioritized the threat posed by terrorism. International

organizations have created several policies and programs to combat terrorism, particularly after
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the 9/11 attacks on the United States. These organizations include the United Nations, the EU,

the African Union, and NATO. These attacks had a significant global impact. Not only in the

United States but also in other countries worldwide, they were in the news for weeks. from

Namibia to Iceland and from Uruguay to Fiji. These acts have also changed how societies,

policymakers, and politicians see terrorism. Since then, terrorism has been regarded as one of the

significant risks to both domestic and global peace and security (Bakker & Zuijdewijn, 2023).

David Schanzer, associate professor of the practice at Duke University, in a MOOC course titled

Understanding 9/11: Why 9/11 Happened & How Terrorism Affects Our World Today, offered

by Duke University through the platform of Coursera, explains that terrorism is a hybrid between

warfare and crime. Terrorism is warfare when terror activities are executed for political purposes,

leading to significant harm, and terrorists perceive themselves to be at war against enemies.

Terrorism is a crime when non-state actors perpetuate it, criminal laws are violated, and violence

is directed against civilians(Schanzer, 2017).

2.4 UN’s attempt to define terrorism

The UN made multiple attempts to define terrorism but struggled to provide a definition

accepted by all nations(Bruce, 2012). According to Bruce(2012), in 1973 UN unsuccessfully

attempted to get a universal agreement on defining terrorism after the 1972 Munich Olympic

massacre. Moreover, in 2001 the UN adopted the International Convention for Suppression of

Terrorists Bombing, yet it failed to define the word "terrorist." However, the UN did produce an

interim draft definition down-playing political justification and list of violent acts as terrorism if

they are "resulting or likely to result in a major economic loss when the purpose of conduct is to

intimidate a population or to compel Government or international organizations to abstain from

doing any act" (Bruce, 2012).

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In the first two decades of this century, around 315,000 people died, and an even more

significant number of people were physically injured or otherwise harmed by terrorist attacks.

From 2000 till 2020, countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Syria, Yemen, and Africa

have been affected mainly by terrorism. The People's Republic of China, the biggest country in

the world in terms of population, had 840 persons killed because of terrorism between 2000 and

2020. In Indonesia, 915 people were killed. In South America's largest country, Brazil, 23 people

died in terrorist attacks.

Moreover, according to the Global Terrorism Index, jihadist terrorists have been

responsible for about 800 fatalities in the West since 2002. Furthermore, between 2015 and 2019,

there were about 350 political terrorist incidents that resulted in the killing of 200 people (Bakker

& Zuijdewijn, 2023). James Piazza, in a study from 2009, explored the data on victims per

international terrorist attack. The data showed that from 1968 through 1979, there were, on

average, two victims per attack. Moving further, this number rose in 1980 to almost four. In the

1990s, it increased to over ten victims per attack. Furthermore, in the first five years of the new

millennium, i.e., from 2000 to 2005, the number increased to 11 victims (Bakker & Zuijdewijn,

2023).

2.5 Academic definition of Terrorism

According to Bruce(2012), most academic definitions of terrorism emphasize the combination of

violence, politics, sociology, and psychology. The German historian Walter Laqueuer broadly

defined terrorism as the illegitimate use of force to achieve a political objective by targeting

innocent people. According to Norwegian social anthropologist and professor at the University

of Oslo, Tore Bjorgo, terrorism is a set of methods of combats rather than an identifiable

ideology involving premeditated use of violence against noncombatants in order to achieve a

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psychological effect of fear on others rather than the immediate targets. Distinguished Research

Associate at the Elcano Royal Institute, Professor of Political Science and Security Studies at

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Fernando Reinares presented three traits to define terrorism for

academic studies. Firstly, terrorism is an act of violence producing widespread disproportionate

emotional reactions such as fear and anxiety. Secondly, violence in terrorism is systematic and

directed against symbolic targets. Thirdly, terrorism is violence conveying messages and threats

to communicate and gain social control(Bruce, 2012).

2.7 Terrorism in Pakistan

Terrorism in Pakistan has adversely affected its foreign direct investment and macroeconomic

stability. Poverty, income illiteracy, and injustice are the significant factors of terrorism in

Pakistan (Shahzad et al., 2017). Rising extremism and religious militancy have posed a

significant threat to Pakistan (Khan, 2015), causing heights of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Apart

from these, factors like ethnicity, inequality, religious intolerance, and political instability have

contributed significantly to the rise of terrorism (Noor & Ajmal, n.d.). Terrorism in Pakistan

mainly surged after the September 11 attack on the USA when Pakistan started playing its role as

the front state against terrorism (Shahzad et al., 2017). According to Noor and Ajmal, "Among

very complex dynamics, some terrorists fled to Pakistan's federal, tribal areas and began

conducting illicit terrorist activities inside Pakistan as well" (Noor & Ajmal, n.d.). The main

terrorist threat comes from Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan(TTP), an umbrella organization of groups

primarily based in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) (Terrorism - Pakistan

Travel Advice, n.d.). According to South Asia Terrorism Portal, Pakistan witnessed 319

terrorism-related incidents in 2020 and 169 associated deaths of civilians. This shows a decline

from nearly 4000 incidents in 2013, with over 2700 civilian deaths (Noor & Ajmal, n.d.). The
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geographical location of Pakistan also dramatically contributes to terrorism. According to

Gul(2023), "Against the backdrop of intense US–China rivalry, the Afghanistan-based East

Turkestan Islamic Movement and the ISKP publicly avowed to hit Chinese interests in the region.

The ISKP boasts hundreds of publications, including recent books and magazines, specifically

focusing on China and its regional interests. Beijing considers these groups' Western proxies to

hurt Chinese interests. It views their killing of several Chinese nationals in Pakistan, almost all

of them working on the multi-billion-dollar China–Pakistan Economic Corridor — a flagship of

the Belt and Road Initiative — in the same context. Beijing also questions why the United States

revoked the designation of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a 'terrorist organization' in

November 2020, with Washington saying there was no credible evidence that the movement

continues to exist." (Gul, 2023).

2.8 Event of 911

The event of the 911 attack also known as a new pearl harbor happens to be the last of 18 events

that altered the patch of human civilization since 1899(Salik, 2020). On 10th of September,

2001, the day after the deadly attack, then President George W. Bush, in response to the attacks,

said that the attack on American Soil was an attack on the heart and soul of the world (U.S.

Department of State, 2001). The 911 attacks killed almost 3000 people in a single day (Bakker &

Zuijdewijn, 2023). The attacks resulted in extraordinary concentration on particular forms of

transnational political violence(Williams & McDonald, 2018). In the reaction to the attacks Bush

gave an ultimatum to the nations that “every nation in every region now has a decision to make.

Either you are with us or you are with terrorists” (HISTORY, 2019). After the 911 attacks,

many countries drastically invested in counterterrorism (Bakker & Zuijdewijn, 2023). HISTORY,
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an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks presented a

brief timeline on their website as follow:

Sept 11, 2001-Terrorists hijacked four US planes crashing two twin towers

Sept 12,2001-Bush addressed the nation declaring war

Sept 20, 2001-Bush announced war on terror. In his speech addressing Congress and nation

declared, “Our war begins with Al-Qaeda but it doesn't end here. It will not end until every

terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

Sept 25, 2001-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced anti terror campaign “Operation

Enduring Freedom”

Oct 7, 2001-Airstrikes by US and Great Britain were launched in Afghanistan at Taliban and Al

Qaeda

Oct 19-20, 2001-The ground war was started with special forces striking in Kandahar

Nov 9, 2001-The Afghan Northern Alliance captured Mazar e Sharif

Nov 13, 2001-Kabul fell following airstrikes and ground attacks by US and Afghan Northern

Alliance

Dec 6-17, 2001-The battle of Tora Bora raged in cave complex in Eastern Afghanistan’s White

Mountains

Feb 21, 2002-A video confirmed murder of Daniel Pearl

June 13, 2002-Hmaid Karzai was elected by traditional Afghan Loya Jirga Council

March 19, 2003-US and coalition forces invaded Iraq

May 1, 2003-Bush delivered a speech proclaiming “The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on

terror that began on Sept 11, 2001 and still goes on”
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Aug 19, 2003-23 people including top UN officials were killed and 100 wounded after a suicide

bomber drove a truck into UN Headquarters in Baghdad

Dec 13, 2003-Saddam Hussain was captured by US soldiers

July 7, 2005-Terrorist bombing on London Underground and a double decker bus killed 52

people and injured more than 700.

Dec 30, 2006-Saddam Hussain was executed in Baghdad

May 2, 2011-Osama Bin Laden was killed during raid in Afghanistan

June 22, 2011-Obama announced withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Dec 28, 2014-War in Afghanistan officially ended

June 28, 2019-US and Taliban leaders worked towards an agreement of withdrawal of 14000 US

troops from Afghanistan

(HISTORY, 2019)

After 911 Bush presented his comprehensive and visionary foreign policy i.e. raging war

against international terrorism with hope to be the first and only war of the 20th century. The war

according to USes and Bush’s foreign policy vision was against those governments who support

and shelter terrorists and against all those who seek to export terror. Bush envisioned building a

worldwide coalition to destroy Al-Qaeda’s grip on Afghanistan, to disrupt Al-Qaeda’s global

operations and to disrupt terrorist financing networks (U.S. Department of State, 2001). On the

diplomatic front the US quickly mobilized international support for building “international

coalition” for combating terrorism(Ahmad, 2013).

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2.9 Impact of 911 on Pakistan

The 911 attack created a new security dilemma for Pakistan(Hussain, 2015). The incidents of

September 11 were like a paradigm shift that turned the world upside down. In the words of

then-COAS Musharraf, "9/11 came as a thunderbolt" that presented acute challenges (Ahmad,

2013). Most analysts consider Pakistan a strategically sensitive and geographically complicated

country with no exception, whose fate has been disrupted since 911 (Lieven, 2012). Strategically

sensitive and geographically at a crossroads of South Asia, Pakistan was not an exception to

witnessing unprecedented consequences for the war she never called (Lieven, 2012). Pakistan

was caught in a catch-22 situation (Salik, 2020). Keeping in mind the national interest and US's

'either with Taliban or with us,' Pakistan had to be a non-NATO ally to the US else the state

would have bombed back to the stone age. The 911 attacks hit Pakistan with equally savage

forces putting Pakistan in a position where she faced threats on many fronts, both within and

outside (Musharraf, 2006).

Analyzing a historical perspective, we find that during each engagement of Pakistan with

the US, there has either been a military or military-dominated government (Hussain, 2005). The

pattern continued and was witnessed when the US attacked the Pentagon. During the time,

Pakistan once again was under military rule under Musharraf's leadership.

Post 911, Musharraf and his Government, within a few days, decided to support the USA

against the Taliban because Pakistan was not given much of a choice by the US (Khan, n.d.). It

happened because the Pakistan Army knew its strategic overextension was untenable, especially

its support for the Taliban and Al Qaeda. During the time 911 happened, Pakistan was nearly

bankrupt and lacked political will. Moreover, US choices and policies towards Pakistan were

complex. (Hussain, 2005)

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Moreover, with the US's ultimatum of either with us or against us, in the words of

Richard Armitage, not only Pakistan had to decide whether the state was with America or with

terrorists, but if Pakistan chose to side with terrorists, she would have witnessed herself bombed

back to Stone Age. Richard Armitage threatened the then DG ISI General Mehmud Ahmed to

bomb Pakistan back to Stone Age(Musharraf, 2006). According to Barnett R. Rubin: "Pakistan

could only be a full partner or a target" and did not have a third option" (Ahmad, 2013)

Musharraf's decision to be US's ally had three following reasons:

1. Military weakness: In comparison with the strength of the US, Pakistan's military would

have been destroyed

2. Economic weakness: Pakistan had no oil nor had any capacity to sustain economic loss

3. Social Weakness: Pakistan lacked homogeneity that was pertinent to galvanize the entire

nation into an active confrontation (Musharraf, 2006)

Apart from military, economic, and social weakness, the national interest and its

protection were also pertinent to Musharraf's decision. According to Musharraf's analysis of

national interest:

1. India had already tried to step in by offering its bases to the US. The US would accept

India's offer if Pakistan did not join the US. This way, India would gain a golden opportunity

concerning the Kashmir issue

2. The security of Pakistan's strategic assets would have been jeopardized. Musharraf did

not want to lose or damage the military parity with India by becoming a nuclear weapon state. It

is no secret that the US has never been comfortable with Muslim Countries acquiring nuclear

weapons. Hence, the US would have taken the opportunity of invasion to destroy, and India

would have loved to assist the US to the hilt.

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3. Economic infrastructure built over half a century would have been destroyed if Pakistan

did not side with the US. (Musharraf, 2006) Alternatively, simply in the words of Barnett R.

Rubin, "Pakistan could only be a full partner or a target" (Ahmad, 2013).

The principal decision was not to defy Americans. Musharaf, in his address, explained

the rationale to the nation for siding with the US because his critical concerns were the country's

sovereignty, economy, strategic assets, and Kashmir cause(Yamin, 2015)

2.10 Public opinion of Pakistanis

Public opinion in Pakistan has been a challenging ground ever since the attack happened. Most

Pakistanis condemned the attacks while there were also strong reactionary sentiments against the

USA encouraged by the religious lobby and partly by pre-existing anti-American feelings

(Musharraf, 2006). On the eve of September 11, 2001, Pakistanis found themselves in a state of

confusion with public mood being muted. According to a news report at that time, “Unknown

terrorists demolished the symbols of American and military power-the world trade center and

pentagon in unprecedented airborne attacks involving four hijacked commercial aircraft killing

hundreds or maybe thousands of people”. The sense of grief was evident from the news reports

about the fate of hundreds of Pakistanis working at WTC. Moreover, ordinary people heaved a

collective sigh of relief for decision of Musharaf for not supporting Taliban (Yamin, 2015)

2.11 Global War on Terror

War on terrorism is a term used to describe the American led global counterterrorism

campaign that was launched in response to 9/11. In terms of scope and expenditure Global War

on Terror is comparable to the Cold War with an intention to represent a new phase in global
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political relations having consequences for security, human rights, International Law, corporation

and government (Jackson & Scott, 2020). The Global War on Terror became a principle

challenge of security (Williams & McDonald, 2018). According to the Foreign Secretary, David

Miliband, War on Terrorism implied a belief that the correct response to terrorist threat was

primarily military one-to track down and kill a hardcore of extremists (Borger, 2009). The

second half of 2001 was like a pandora box that once exploded, and world affairs changed. The

attack on the soil of the world's most powerful country was a great blow to its ego that marked an

irrevocable turn from the past into an unknown future (Musharraf, 2006). In September 2001,

when 19 terrorists hijacked four East Coast flights crashing three of airplanes into targets in New

York and Washington DC (HISTORY, 2019). As the then President of the United States in his

address on September 10, 2001, said an attack on the World Trade Center was “an attack on

American Soil (Bush, 2001) (state.gov, 2009) George W Bush in reaction to the attacks gave an

ultimatum to the world that: “Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either

you are with us, or you are with terrorists” (HISTORY, 2019).

2.12 Scope of the Global War on Terror

In terms of scope the Global War on Terror is limitless with multiple dimensions. Military

dimension of the War includes wars in Afghanistan, Covert Operation in Yemen, Large Scale

Military assistance programs for cooperative regimes, and Major increase in military spendings.

The Intelligence dimensions includes Institutional re-organizations, Considerable increases in

funding of America's intelligence, Gathering capabilities , Global program of capturing terrorist

suspects and interning them at Guantanamo Bay, Expanded corporations with foreign

intelligence agencies and Tracking terrorist fundings. The Diplomatic dimensions involve

Continuing efforts to construct and maintain a global coalition of partner states, Extensive public
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diplomacy to counter anti-Americanism in the Middle East (Jackson & Scott, 2020). The War on

Terror according to Williams & McDonald(2018) is central in international security due to

following elements

1. The 911 attacks were deeply shocking to the US as a small group using civil aircrafts as

flying bombs to destroy a world class financial center and attacked the HQ of the US

military.

2. Bush administration in mid 2001 began to pursue its vision of New American Century

3. It was essential for US to regain control by destroying terrorists

(Williams & McDonald, 2018)

2.13 Pakistan during Global War on Terror

When the Global War on Terror started, Pakistan, under the pressure of the USA government,

participated in the war. Pakistan was declared as a non-NATO ally by the American government

and provided Pakistan with financial as well as military aid. NATO troops used Pakistan to reach

Afghanistan. Moreover, Pakistan’s air bases were also given to NATO for attacking

Afghanistan(Shehzad et al., 2017). Pakistan’s support to US in War on Terror, in short bore for

her long-term consequences like declining economy, poor law & order situation, deteriorating

relations with west (Yamin, 2015). Moreover, and worst of all, it tarnished the soft and national

image of Pakistan acknowledged by Musharraf that Pakistan now has a serious image problem

(Ahmad, 2013) due her participation in GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR as well as due to the

policies implemented during the time. The sum total of Pakistan’s post 9/11 foreign policy

developed a new identity on the global radar screen as “hotbed of terrorism” (Ahmad, 2013). The

war on terror entered in Pakistan required a whole nation approach from a highly polarized

society. Hence, Pakistan’s response remained divided. The religious clergy sided with terrorists
 25

with a mission to impose the brand of Islam. Judiciary failed to prosecute terrorists and the

media lived under the shadow of retribution (Salik, 2020).

One of the major successes of Pakistan in the Global War on Terror was that of capturing

and handling over more than 700 Al-Qaeda operatives to the US. Along with success came a

great downside for Pakistan as the military suffered significant material and human losses.

Moreover, the war caused colossal damage to the economy as the economic cost of militancy in

FATA only estimated roughly at $19mn(Fayyaz, 2020).

2.13.1 Drone Attacks

The drone attacks in Pakistan is one of the most unaddressed issues that arose during

Pakistan’s participation in the Global War on Terror which had dire consequences and losses.

Drone attacks cause military losses as Army HQ, Pakistan Naval Base in Mehran, number of

sensitive installations and personal belongings of military personnel were attacked upon

launching of Drone Strike in FATA from Shamsi Airbase(Yamin, 2015). A total of 114 drone

strikes in Pakistan between 2004 and early 2010 killed between 834 and 1214 people, according

to the report "The Year of Drone."(Sehri, 2016).

The first known strike killing was recorded on June 18, 2004, Near Wana in South

Waziristan, at least 5-8 persons were killed on this day, including Nek Muhammad Wazir and his

two children. The drone attacks have persisted ever since that day. The first documented drone

assault, which occurred in North Waziristan on May 14, 2005, was noteworthy. It was the second

drone attack ever. Second, on November 5, 2005, a drone strike took place and destroyed Abu

Hamza Rabia's home. Thirdly, on January 13, 2006, a Bajaur agency airstrike in Damadola

resulted in the deaths of 18 civilians. Fourth, on October 30, 2006, Ayman al-Zawahri was the
 26

target of an airstrike that was directed at Chenagi and bombed a madrasa near Bajaur, killing 84

children (Sehri, 2016).

2.13.2 Fake Vaccination Cases

The Fake Polio Vaccine Case was one of the most significant political scandals igniting

terror and disaster in the country. The fake polio vaccination campaign was organized by the CIA

in Abbottabad in order to obtain DNA from the children of Osama Bin Laden to confirm the

presence of his family(“Polio Eradication: The CIA and Their Unintended Victims,” 2014). Dr

Shakil Afridi, at the end of January 2011 launched a fake polio vaccination campaign at the

behest of CIA officials(Ahmed, 2012) This case showed that Pakistan’s healthcare system lacked

political neutrality which led to the consequences of polio being re-emerged as a public health

emergency in Pakistan. Moreover, Pakistan is one of only four countries apart from India,

Afghanistan and Nigeria where polio remains an epidemic(“Polio Eradication: The CIA and

Their Unintended Victims,” 2014). In the year 2011, 326 polio cases were reported in these

countries. Out of those 326 cases, 197 cases were reported from Pakistan(Ahmed, 2012). This

scandal added more to the injury as the entire incident ignited distrust. It is unclear how to

samples were collected or how were they led to Bin Laden but many local leaders began urging

people not to get their children vaccinated and it continues till date(Iqbal, 2021)

2.13.3 Suicide Bombing

Suicide bombing is one of Pakistan's major problems, and it has devastating repercussions. The

Global War on Terror is strongly related to this problem. The majority of suicide bombings have

been carried out by militant organisations in an effort to weaken the nation and the government's

efforts to combat terrorism. Since 2002 till July 2010 more than 3719 people lost their lives in
 27

almost 257 suicide bombing attacks injuring more than 9464(Syed, 2010). However, even after

2010 suicide bombing attacks continued inside Pakistan as according to South Asia Terrorism

Portal(SATP) from 2001 till 2021 a total number of 595 suicide attacks were carried out in

Pakistan resulting into deaths of 11068 people and injuring more than 14312(Ahmed et al.,

2021). According to the National Counterterrorism Center, on April 16, 2010, a suicide bomber

opened fire on people in Quetta hospital killing 12 and wounding 40. The responsibility of the

attack was claimed by Lashkar e Jhangri. Moving further, on July, 9, 2010, a suicide bomber

attacked a government building Yakagund resulting in killing of 62 and more than 110

individuals getting wounded(National Counterterrorism Center, 2010).

2.14 Impact of the Global War on Terror on Pakistan

Then President Musharaf acknowledged that Pakistan has a serious image problem due to her

participation in the Global War on Terror. Pakistan has been a formidable opponent of terrorism

while serving as a stronghold for extremism. Pakistan's involvement in the Global War on Terror

contributes significantly to its damaged reputation.(Ahmad, 2013).

According to Dr Shabana Fayyaz in her acclaimed dissertation Pakistan is seen as a

domestic effluent to its own flawed politics, bad governance, lack of social justice and rule of

law (Fayyaz, 2020). This is a core reason for Pakistan to face policy challenges and failures

during the era of the Global War on Terror. One of the policy challenges faced by Pakistan was

due to Musharraf’s rationalized decision critical to the security of national security assets.

Moreover, Musharaf’s policy which was dominated by force based tactics added to the misery of

ordinary people of FATA as they felt to be treated as second rate citizens(Fayyaz, 2020).

There was also failure at Judiciary’s end as Parliament failed to come up with a

unanimous definition of the term terrorism. Moreover, the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 was sought
 28

to be improved through ordinance but that provision is no more with the President after the 18th

amendment. This failure depicted that anti-terrorism laws are outdated as they were made before

911(Roomi, 2018).

Chapter 3 Research Methodology

3.1 Justification

In order to ensure a state's survival and long-term viability, its national image is crucial.

As a result, the focus of this research is on the examination of Pakistan's national image. This

study's main goal is to perform a detailed examination of the policy factors put into place during

the Global War on Terror and afterwards in order to determine the policy elements that are

pertinent to the investigation of Pakistan's soft image. Pakistan encountered many difficulties

after joining the global war on terror, which negatively impacted its good reputation

internationally. The world frequently links Pakistan and its population with terrorism, despite the

reality that neither Pakistan nor its people were directly involved in the 9/11 attacks. It is crucial

to remember that Pakistan really consented to the use of its territory for military operations

against several militant organizations that carried out the 9/11 attacks and were sheltering in

Afghanistan. It is possible to shed insight on the elements that have contributed to the bad

perception of Pakistan's soft image by looking at the policies and actions made by Pakistan

throughout this crucial period. With a critical analysis that will help in comprehending the

intricacies of Pakistan's national image and its repercussions on the country's international status

and sustainability, this research aims to delve thoroughly into these policy-related variables.
 29

Researchers hope to comprehend how the war on terror impacts a country's entire image

and reputation, both domestically and globally, by examining the relationship between these two

variables. Such knowledge can help policymakers, strategists, and decision-makers in the fields

of national security, international relations, and public relations make wise decisions and take the

necessary steps to improve their nation's reputation in the international community.

3.2 Variables

Two key variables have been identified by the study in order to undertake thorough

research: an independent variable, the "war on terror," and a dependent variable, the "national

image."

3.2.1 Independent variable

The war against terrorism, which had profound effects and ramifications on numerous

facets of society, is referred to as the independent variable. It includes all of the activities taken

by national governments and international organizations to thwart terrorism through military

operations, intelligence collection, and policy changes.

3.2.2 Dependent variable

The dependent variable, on the other hand, relates to how a country is perceived and

portrayed on a global level. It includes how the nation is perceived by other countries,

international organizations, and the general public as a result of the policies and techniques used

in the war on terror.

 30

3.3 Research Questions

3.3.1 Main Research Question

This research focuses on answering the following main question(s)

“How Pakistan’s National Image was tarnished during the Global War on Terror due to policy

failures? What should be the way forward to rebuild the tarnished image?

The first part of the question focuses on exploring the policy loopholes during the era of

the Global War on Terror at Pakistan’s end that tarnished its national image. Moreover, this part

of the question also focuses on exploring how policy loopholes gave India the opportunity to

play its part in further tarnishing the image.

The second part of the question focuses on exploring policy recommendations that can be

adopted for rebuilding the tarnished image.

The research question is explored through semi structured interviews with notable

officials, seeking public opinion prominently through non Pakistani colleagues and

acquaintances and through descriptive research using sources like MOOC courses, articles,

newspapers articles, journal articles, research papers etc.

3.3.2 Questions from notable references

Following questions were asked in interviews with notable references

1. How Pakistan’s national policies during GWOT era impacted its national image

2. What was the role of India in tarnishing the national image

 31

3. What are the key elements in policy designing for rebuilding the national image

4. What should be the way forward for Pakistan to rebuild its tarnished image

3.3.3 Questions for gathering public opinion

Question that was asked from non Pakistani colleagues and acquaintances was: What is your

perception about Pakistan as a country?

3.4 Data Collection

The research is conducted qualitatively through data collection from primary and

secondary sources. Moreover, MOOCs certifications on courses related to terrorism and 911

were also obtained from notable universities prominent through the platform of coursera. Using

both primary and secondary research techniques can help you find any potential policy gaps in

the Pakistani government. In doing so, the study aims to identify the causes of Pakistan's soft

image erosion in order to comprehend the causes of its detrimental effects. Additionally, this

study project intends to develop efficient plans and solutions for enhancing Pakistan's standing

internationally. The broad use of primary and secondary research techniques, drawing from a

wide variety of sources, would make it possible to pinpoint policy flaws in Pakistan. This

examination into the elements that have harmed the nation's goodwill will pave the path for

developing suggestions and tactics to deal with these problems. The study intends to contribute

to continuing efforts to improve Pakistan's worldwide reputation and develop favorable

impressions of the nation by examining what went wrong.

 32

3.4.1 Primary Data

The primary data collection was done through conducting semi structured interviews with

notable people from International Agencies, Government of Pakistan, Media, Academia, Think

Tanks etc. Notable officials include:

1. Robert Grenier, former CIA station Chief of Pakistan

2. Rtd Major General Inam ul Haque

3. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director of Center for Research and Security Studies

4. Raza Shah, Executive Director SPADO

5. Lt Col rtd Naeem Dar

6. Adil Shahzeb, Newscaster, Dawn news primetime show host “Live with Adil Shahzeb”,

former presenter at BBC world

7. Tughral Yamin, former associate dean at Centre for International Peace and Stability and

Senior Research Fellow Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad

8. Dr Amna Mehmood, Dean and professor of political science and international relations at

International Islamic University

9. Dr Ammad Khan, Assistant Professor, Department of Development Studies, National

University of Sciences and Technology

10. Dr Salma Malik, Assistant Professor at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies,

Quaid-I-Azam University

11. Dr Riffat Hussain, political scientist, former HOD of Department of Government and

Public Policy at NUST, and defense analyst

12. Dr Ashfaque H Khan, Principal & Professor at School of Social Sciences and Humanities

at NUST, former economic adviser of the Ministry of Finance

 33

13. Col (R) Mansoor Javaid

14. Dr Lt Col rtd Rooh ul Amin

For the purpose of primary data, public opinion was also gathered from foreign

colleagues and acquaintances. For the sake of privacy names however aren't shared in the

dissertation. Notable foreigner colleagues and acquaintances include:

1. Former Team Leader for National Support Team for Social Media, AIESEC in Belgium,

residing in Spain

2. Editor and Chair for Indo Pacific Studies, Institute for Greater Europe(IGE)

3. Editor, Institute for Greater Europe(IGE)

4. Members Global Shapers Community

3.4.2 Secondary Data

In terms of secondary data sources, including academic journal articles, videos,

newspapers, and official websites are used. The goal is to close the research gap by using these

resources to undertake a full analysis and give a thorough viewpoint on Pakistan's national

perception. By using secondary data sources, such as journal articles, the study will make use of

the current body of knowledge and industry expertise. These academic papers offer a wealth of

knowledge, analysis, and important insights on pertinent security concerns and regulations.

Books and documentaries are excellent resources that provide in-depth narratives, historical

context, and professional viewpoints, helping to create a well-rounded grasp of the subject. The

official websites of governmental organizations and institutes will be reviewed in addition to

academic sources. These sites enable access to official reports, papers, and policy declarations,

enabling a thorough analysis of Pakistan's security strategies. By examining these sources, the
 34

research can learn more about the goals, plans, and efforts of the government, enabling a full

assessment of how these things have affected the nation's soft image.

3.4.3 MOOC Courses

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) certifications were mostly obtained through the

well-known portal Coursera in order to perform detailed research. Two courses in particular

made use of the acquired certifications. Duke University sponsored the first course,

"Understanding 9/11: Why 9/11 Happened & How Terrorism Affects Our World Today," which

was brilliantly taught by David Schanzer. This certification's special course ID is

EE8YYBP8JKUT. The second certification was obtained for the Universiteit Leiden course

"Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory and Practice." Dr. Jeanine de Roy van

Zuijdewijn and Professor Dr. Edwin Bakker were the two distinguished professors who

conducted this course. YCJ9J9NV3R8F is the course ID for this certification.

By earning these MOOC certifications, knowledge and expertise in the field of terrorism

were increased. In particular, one could better comprehend the tragic events of 9/11 and its

ramifications, as well as gain insight into the theoretical and practical facets of terrorism and

counterterrorism tactics. These accreditations functioned as important credentials that proved the

reliability of the research.

3.5 Research Gap

Following a thorough examination of the body of knowledge, the following notable research

gaps were found that demand future study:

 35

First off, there has been a remarkable lack of academic research examining the degree to

which Pakistan's national reputation has been damaged. Despite the importance of this issue,

little effort has been made to comprehend the dynamics and circumstances that have contributed

to this unfavorable representation of the nation.

The second significant research gap is the absence of investigation into Pakistan's

perspective on how its involvement in the Global War on Terror has affected the country and its

state, with a focus on India's effect. Despite the fact that many studies have examined the effects

of Pakistan's involvement in the conflict, there is yet to be a thorough examination from

Pakistan's perspective. For a more complete understanding of the war, it is essential to

comprehend Pakistan's particular perspective and the complex interaction of geopolitical factors

in the area.

Lastly, another research aspect that demands attention is the role of Pakistan's own policy

mistakes in the deterioration of its national image is a last study topic that merits attention. It is

crucial to evaluate critically the domestic policies and choices made by Pakistan that may have

compounded the unfavorable perception of the nation on the international scene. By filling this

research vacuum, we can learn more about the particular areas where Pakistan's policy

formulation was lacking and how these shortfalls affected Pakistan's reputation abroad.

Scholars and decision-makers can gain a more nuanced understanding of the elements

that have contributed to Pakistan's national image being damaged by identifying these research

gaps and carrying out in-depth investigations. They can also assess the impact of Pakistan's

participation in the Global War on Terror from its own perspective and determine how its failed

policies have contributed to the country's unfavorable reputation.

 36

Chapter 4 Research Findings

4.1 International Perception of Pakistan

According to the former CIA station Chief of Pakistan, “Before 911 reputation of pakistan was

problematic because perception of pakistan for supporting militancy in Kashmir much of that

was shaped by India and particularly because of supporting taliban and recognizing them as

legitimized government at time when they were sanctioned for harboring of OBL. After 911 it

became much more complicated as Pakistan was seen as an unambiguous supporter of Taliban.

From 2005 onwards perception became further complicated. As on one hand pakistan was

supportive of opposing Al-Qaeda but when Taliban became to re assert themselves in

Afghanistan and were using terrorist means against other Afghans through using terrorist

methods like launching suicide bombing against other Afghans. Pakistan’s perception for having

an ambiguous policy of opposing Al-Qaeda and maintaining relations with Taliban added to

complication.”(R. Grener, personal communication, 2023).

A diverse range of opinions was gathered through informal communication with

non-Pakistani colleagues working in different international volunteer organizations, youth run

organizations, student think tanks etc. According to a Former Team Leader from AIESEC in

Belgium, a youth run organization, “my perception before I met people from the country was

very much based on the news, which constantly showed conflicts in the country and problems

with gender equality. One thing I noticed is that we lumped that perception in general with

Middle Eastern countries, not knowing how to differentiate between countries. Once I started to

meet people from Pakistan my perception that was based on the news changed. Now I know that

in the country there are incredible people who seek to improve their country. Regarding women

my perception also changed now I know that there are empowered women who want to better
 37

themselves. I also learned that they have a very rich culture and that they have very interesting

traditions from which other countries can learn”.

Moving further, Chair for Indo Pacific Studies, from a student think tank, Institute for

Greater Europe(IGE), shared their valuable opinion stating that, “Pakistan, in my opinion, does

not receive a lot of attention from a global perspective. I think it's a country with multi-faceted

problems, from corruption, natural disasters (e.g., the devastating flood last year), to geopolitics

(border disputes with India and China, participation in China's BRI). It certainly is an important

player in the region, but also weakened by internal struggles. It has become a great and favorable

supporter in letting people from Afghanistan transfer through Pakistan to their destination

countries and could continue to be a suitable partner or even leader when dealing with

Afghanistan in the future.”.

An Editor from the same student think tank shared their views that, “Personally I

perceive Pakistan as a quite unknown country, neighboring India, serving as a bridge to South

East Asia. For me it is mostly associated with the independence of 1948, IT industry but also

several schools to study Islam. Besides that, I see it especially from the perspective of an

influential country in the Muslim world.”. According to a member of Global Shapers

Community, a changemaking organization, “Before visiting Pakistan, I didn’t know much about

the country. My perception was largely negative based on what I heard in the past. All I really

heard was Pakistan involved with the Taliban. I knew there was a conflict with India and I knew

that Pakistan was a Muslim majority country. It was never a country I knew much about. But

after visiting Pakistan my perception completely changed. I think Pakistan is a super diverse

country with so much to offer with amazing culture and hospitality of people. So the only semi

negative thing I know about Pakistan is its complex political situation”.

 38

4.2 Impact of Pakistan’s policies during GWOT on National Image

A diverse range of opinions were gathered while conducting semi structured interviews

with notable experts. The former CIA Station Chief of Pakistan, stated that, “The Pakistan

government, especially the Pakistan army was very distrustful.There was a double game being

played by supporting Taliban at one hand and one the other hand supporting USA in the war. It

was very unclear about why Pakistan was actively working against the Taliban. It was, however,

realized that Pakistan had to make provisions for the future. As Pakistan’s calculus at the outset

of war was that if we(Pakistan) provided clear support to the west, we would have to deal with

the aftermath after the exit of Ameriicans as sacrificing terms with Afghanistan would impact the

national security interest. This concern should have been communicated to the Americans by

Pakistan.”(R. Grenier, personal communication, 2023).

According to Pakistan’s renowned political scientist and defense analyst, “We were the

beneficiaries of GWOT. If not us, the ruling elite was a great beneficiary. Pakistan received a

great amount of funds during the coalition amounting in billions and trillions. We also became a

non NATO ally due to which our economic and security assistance was increased. ”(R. Hussain,

personal communication, 2023).

A retired Major General acknowledged the strength of security policies as they

emphasized that “The policy of Pakistan, run by the civil and military leadership and the

politicians, was excellent. We were able to protect Pakistan's interests. We remained relevant in

the system, and it is very pertinent to stay relevant in the international system. Positive relevance

should be there. Current relevance is security-centric. We should be economically, culturally, and

socially relevant as well.”(I. Haque, personal communication, 2022).

 39

The Executive Director of Center of Research and Security Studies stated that,

“Pakistan's position on war on terror initially was just very self-serving. It had two dimensions.

First aspect was self serving, as Musharaf partnered with the United States and other NATO

partners on two pretexts which. He wanted to basically become relevant to the global, he wanted

legitimacy from the international community because he had staged a coup and nobody outside

basically had any good word about him. The second aspect was national and at that particular

time of moment that policy was probably the right one. To deny India any rule in the war on

terror that was being fought in Afghanistan. The security parts played out well. The Global War

on Terror basically further strengthened the security apparatus, the armed forces of Pakistan in

comparison to the civilian forces. So the key decisions were being taken by Musharraf, then

followed by General Kiani, and then Raheel Sharif. The civilians were playing a secondary role

to those policies, whether it concerned Afghanistan, India, or the United States, the United States

was also primarily dealing with the military leadership.”(I. Gul, personal communication, 2023).

As the interview further proceeded the esteemed Executive Director shed some light particularly

on Foreign policy stating that, “Pakistan's foreign policy options always remained very

restricted. Nobody really believed Pakistan. There was a huge trust deficit as far as Pakistan's

foreign policy was concerned because of the relationship with the Afghan Taliban, because of

Kashmir's jihad. So the entire Pakistan suffers even today because of that, what outside is called

the duplicity of the foreign policy.” (I. Gul, personal communication, 2023).

According to the views of a retired Colonel, “We followed policies for fulfilling USA’s

goals and purposes in Pakistan that ruined our national image.”(M. Javaid, personal

communication, 2023). As the communication proceeded, light was shed on weakness at

Pakistan’s end by the esteemed Colonel as they stated that, “We were given funding and that
 40

funding had a specific purpose of its own. Those funds were misused by Pakistan. It was used for

self interest rather than national interest. This reflected a bad image externally.”(M. Javaid,

personal communication, 2023).

An esteemed retired army officer with rank of Lieutenant Colonel emphasizes

particularly on security and strategic policies that, “in a community of nations when 191

countries in the general assembly voted for US invasion on Afghanistan, Pakistan had no option

to confront the motion. Moreover, Pakistan’s economy and military hardware being heavily

dependent on the west, had to align its strategic interests with US and western powers for its

survival. Pakistan draws its strategic strength from its unique placement on the world map. It lies

at the crossroads between south Asia, Middle east, central Asian states. Closer proximity to

Afghanistan, Iran and China and India further adds to its importance. Pakistan has always been

under threat from its eastern border, therefore its strategic policy has always been India centric

for the protection of its geographical and ideological boundaries. Soon after the US invasion of

Afghanistan both India and Pakistan reached the verge of war when opposing forces came face to

face along the eastern border.”(N. Dar, personal communication, 2022).

The former associate dean at Centre for International Peace and Stability, NUST and

presently Senior Research Fellow Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad shared his insightful

views stating that “I believe no matter what policy you make. Be it defense policy or religious

policy or agriculture policy it should be for the good of the common man. Our policies are made

for the 1% elite. Soft image can only be built when we are morally and ethically correct. The soft

image can only be made if our rulers have the interest of the nation at heart. . Unfortunately, we

are suffering from a governance issue. For soft image education is highly pertinent. Our country

is ranked 2nd from the bottom in terms of out of school children. We are placed even below
 41

Sub-Saharan Africa.”(T. Yamin, personal communication, 2022). In further discussion regarding

Pakistan’s participation in GWOT when it was inquired that “We sought our national aims

during the US led GWOT. When we look at Musharraf’s decision when the USA threatened us to

bomb back to the stone age he decided to side with the USA to save Pakistan. Please enlighten

me on this.” The following response was recorded “If someone pressurizes you, there is a solid

reason. The reason the USA pressurized Pakistan was because of Pakistan’s geopolitical and

geostrategic importance. The USA wanted Pakistan to help them by giving bases and

overflights. Pakistan instantly complied. In this case all seven demands made by the Bush

Administration were accepted without any quid pro quo. Pakistan could have demanded from the

US to construct roads in return, improve our railway system and provide us with trade

concessions. We only saw the USA's ultimatum from a security angle. We didn't look into our

economy and wilted under the threat that the mighty USA would bomb us back to stone age. One

year went by, the second year went by and even after 10 years we kept obeying them. We did not

make any effort to renegotiate the initial terms and conditions. That's how we ignored our

national interest. No one will help you until we help ourselves”(T. Yamin, personal

communication, 2022).

According to Assistant Professor at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies,

Quaid-I-Azam University, “One of the main problems in our nation is that many times certain

important aspects of policy are not disclosed in the public domain which results in failure to

receive real term data. And due to lack of this real time data assumptions are made and at times

these assumptions are correct and at times they are wrong. Talking about War on Terror,

especially 10 years of post 911 policies were dominated by one particular institution i.e. military

being the first responder as they were deploying the forces. But the overall consensus of having
 42

different civilian institutions as equal partners was somewhat missing.” (S. Malik, personal

communication, 2023).

Moreover, according to the Executive Director Sustainable Peace And Development

Organization (SPADO), “There was no democratic or parliamentary process with Musharraf’s

dealing with the USA to be an ally. Neither was there any democracy during that time period

without thinking about what its impact would be in the long term. There was no well thought

strategy in policy making. There was no thought given on what impact will be there 10 or 30

years later after the end of war. The biggest issue that happened in our nation was the death of

creativity because there was no policy on what to do after war. We have no internal national

building and integration policy.”(R. Shah, personal communication, 2023).

According to an esteemed retired Lieutenant Colonel and PhD scholar, “Being a non-nato

ally of the US, Pakistan’s strategic policy was being a mediator of the triangle i.e US,

Afghanistan and Taliban. The foreign policy was to ensure restoration of peace in the region and

bring international media in its favor. The economic policy was to ensure economic rebuilding

of war affected areas in the region.”(R. Amin, personal communication, 2023).

The esteemed principal of School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NUST, shed light

on economic policies during the war on terror by stating, “During the War on Terror, the army

fought with excellence. However, when the military fulfilled its duties, the civil administration

needed to be at the forefront. This is where our weakness was evident, as the civil administration

failed to play its role and there was a lack of coordination. The army had the capacity to perform

its military duties, but the civil administration lacked the capacity to perform its own duties. As a

result, the desired outcome was not achieved. There was also a lack of coordination within the

government organs. Our communication level was very weak, hence we failed to communicate
 43

our role in the war to the world. Starting from 2000, when Musharraf was in power, significant

work was done on the economic front. Economists represented Pakistan's economy on global

forums. However, after Musharraf left in 2008, the economy gradually weakened, and our

dependence on the IMF increased. As a result, we lacked a narrative to represent our prosperity,

as we were grappling with debt issues and inflation.”(A. H. Khan, personal communication,

2023).

According to a renowned Newscaster, and Dawn news primetime show host, “Pakistan's

narrative wasn't sold the way it should have been. One of the reasons is that on one hand we are

conducting operations and on the other hand there is interference in the domestic politics of the

country.” (A. Shahzeb, personal communication, 2023).

According to an esteemed professor from the department of Development Studies in

NUST, “According to the situation in the era of GWOT, the policies were accurate but long term

consequences of policies were not assessed properly.”(A. Khan, personal communication, 2023).

Dean and professor of political science and international relations at International Islamic

University elaborated that, “Every foreign policy making foreign policy decision is based on

bargaining. International decisions are not one-sided when you make a decision that you want to

do that or they will demand and you do have your own options and then you should negotiate

those options. we in fact dragged an outside war into our country. If we wanted to support them,

then there may be a number of other ways. But direct involvement was not an option considered

better for Pakistan later on. We collaborated with the US, but the US was not truthful towards

Pakistan. They were in this haphazard whether Pakistan is with us or they are supporting our

enemy, Taliban as well. Although Musharraf announced that we have taken a U-done and we

have abandoned Taliban and then we have to face repercussions from Taliban in terms of terrorist
 44

activities in Pakistan as they were increased to unprecedented levels. But at the same time there

was a trust deficit between the US and Pakistan. So that damaged Pakistan's image all over the

world. Secondly, the economy was never handled in a better way by any government of Pakistan.

In the case of Pakistan, we saw economic moves only when there was economic aid coming. But

the problem was that military governments were not able to utilize economic aid or grant to

sustainable development. They were not able to create infrastructure. They used that guard just

as a current account use. They were having money, they were spending money. They could not

have a sustainable development policy so that there would be new opportunities generated for the

economy, new industrialization, And when the pipeline of aid dried up, there was no economy

and there was an economic crisis. You are relevant to the world if you can serve a source of some

commodity that means your exports are good. Or you are part of the supply chain, you are

adding something, some value to already manufacturing things elsewhere in the world or you can

be relevant when you are a lucrative market for the world. In any case, you have to build up your

economy. Because even if you are a consumer market, for that purpose you should have money,

money in foreign exchange, and money in foreign exchange would be generated through

economic activity at international level. So you should be trade intensive, industrial intensive, or

even agriculture intensive and enter into international trade foreign exchange. So it's a paradox

that if you will make your economy in order at home if you can generate interest rate activity or

international economic activity. And if you are not able to do that. Certainly, you will be having

no relevance. Pakistan lost its credential as otherwise we are a nation of 25 million people, so we

should be relevant because we are a very big consumer market since we could not develop our

industry, so we are a consumer market. But since we are not having any other economic activity

to buy things from other countries. And so we administered aspects. Systematically in these 20
 45

years of war on terror are governments and negligence rather it is criminal negligence on the

part of all governments that Pakistan's economy is getting down.” (A. Mehmood, personal

communication, 2023).

4.3 Role of India in tarnishing Pakistan’s image during GWOT

Data collected through interviews mostly shared a common view expressing consensus

that India played an important role in tarnishing Pakistan’s image. According to the former

associate dean at Centre for International Peace and Stability, NUST and presently Senior

Research Fellow Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad, “India plays its role in destroying image

and will continue to do so. India is our enemy who takes advantage of our internal weakness, no

say in diplomatic fronts. It’s India’s role to portray Pakistan as a terrorist nation.”(T. Yamin,

personal communication, 2022).

According to the former CIA Station Chief of Pakistan, “India was motivated to highlight

divergence between USA’s and Pakistan’s interests. They were particularly active in highlighting

this divergence after 911. India was very eager to highlight that Pakistan did very little to control

activities of al-qaeda before 911. They also tried to suggest that there was a clear link between

Pakistan’s support to al-qaeda, refusal to work actively against al-qaeda and alleged Pakistan’s

support to kashmir militancy.It was a clear propaganda deployed against Pakistan by India”(R.

Grenier, personal communication, 2023).

Assistant Professor at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-I-Azam

University stated that, “India played a massive role in tarnishing our image as it was a golden

opportunity for them. India used their information network over double in multiple shifts for

spreading fake news.”(S. Malik, personal communication, 2023).

 46

Renowned political scientist and defense analyst stated that, “India tried to tarnish our

image by saying that Pakistan is a terrorist state and that Pakistan supports terrorist activities.

When OBL was killed, India took the lead to denounce that Pakistan’s military was trying to play

a double game. India was instrumental in creating and spreading such propagandas against

Pakistan.”(R. Hussain, personal communication, 2023).

A retired Colonel reflecting upon historical enmity shared between both the countries

stated that, “When we look into the creation of India and Pakistan, India has been against

Pakistan ever since. It's India’s national policy to ruin Pakistan in every capacity possible. India’s

media is also definitely way stronger than ours. The embassies of India and people who worked

there during GWOT were very pro-India and they worked solely for the national interest of

India. Pakistan did not build its image positively and this loophole was cashed by India.”(M.

Javaid, personal communication, 2023).

An army officer retired from the rank of Lieutenant Colonel stated that, “Pakistan draws

its strategic strength from its unique placement on the world map. It lies at the crossroads

between south Asia, Middle east, central Asian states. Closer proximity to Afghanistan, Iran and

China and India further adds to its importance. The CPEC being the flagship project of China’s

One road one belt program that passes through Pakistan is a major irritant in the eyes of the USA

and India. During GWOT China started rising as a challenger to US hegemony. Its GDP jumped

from 5,760 billion in 2004 to 18,228 in 2014. The US crafted a QUAD agreement with India,

Japan and Australia in 2004 for the containment of China. This gave rise to the new great games

in which Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia joined one camp and India joined the US in the

opposing camp. India entered into a strategic partnership and mutual interdependence with

Afghanistan. India gained more influence in Afghanistan through its mutual interdependence,
 47

slashing Pakistan’s interests by provoking anti Pakistan sentiments amongst the afghan

nation.”(N. Dar, personal communication, 2022).

Executive Director Sustainable Peace And Development Organization (SPADO), shared

their views stating that, “India effectively played a major role in tarnishing our image. On every

UN Platform India utilized our weakness to tarnish our image. On policy level they hired

lobbyists to build a narrative against pakistan. India claimed that Pakistan is the main source of

terrorism be it in Kashmir. India gained the trust of the global community. On the other hand we

suffered, we failed to empower our civil society, civil society, academia representatives are

discouraged to represent Pakistan internationally for image building. This makes them image

internationally to be of a militant and terrorist state.”(R. Shah, personal communication, 2023).

The respectable retired Lieutenant Colonel and PhD scholar shared a perspective of the

US's interest in India stating that “the US was more inclined towards India due to political and

national interest.”(R. Amin, personal communication, 2023) which emphasized on how US’s

interest in India gave her an opportunity to tarnish Pakistan’s image.

Moreover, principal of School of Social Sciences and Humanities and a renowned

economist shared their valuable insights regarding India’s role in tarnishing our image, stating

that, “India created a disinformation lab in Europe that disgraced Pakistan worldwide for 10 to

15 years, and we lacked the ability and capacity to counter it. Moreover, India played a

significant role in putting Pakistan on the FATF's gray list. India's Foreign Minister, Jai Shanker,

acknowledged in a training program that it was India who kept Pakistan in FATF's gray list.”(A.

H. Khan, personal communication, 2023).

A renowned Newscaster, and Dawn news primetime show host also emphasized on

India’s propaganda tool EU Disinformation Lab, they stated that, “India will never leave a stone
 48

unturned to damage Pakistan’s reputation. India had spread propaganda against Pakistan through

the EU's disinformation lab. ”(A. Shahzeb, personal communication, 2023).

Dean and professor of political science and international relations at International Islamic

University elaborated that, “India is always up to Pakistan, and their army is Pakistan specific.

And they are not only watchful to Pakistan in terms of strategic and military competition, but

they are also much more to Pakistan in social, economic, and national affairs, and they compete

with Pakistan all over the world. rather they are much ahead of Pakistan in terms of propaganda

and spying activities, in terms of international linkages. And since their economy is rising, they

have surpassed the UK in economic ranking. So they are more relevant for the work” (A.

Mehmood, personal communication, 2023).

4.4 Key elements in policy designing for rebuilding the national image

A diverse range of data was collected through gathering opinions of notable personalities.

Assistant Professor at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-I-Azam

University, emphasized that, “When you are constructing a policy for national image there are

multiple aspects to look into i.e. what are policy parameters, what area of policy making is, you

have to take two things into account. Firstly, what are internal and external dynamics and

secondly, what internal ramifications of that policy will be and how it is going to impact the

external audience. Target audience i.e. for whom policy is being designed needs to be certain as

it becomes quite clear about what kind of policy parameters that needs to be designed. For policy

designing target audience, whom you are addressing, what are the stakes are crucial factors that

need to be considered. Moreover, it is very important for a policy to be long lasting because

policy cannot be shifted on a daily basis however policy goals can be shifted. Therefore, a policy

should be at least 5 to 10 years strong. A policy must be dynamic enough that it doesn't become
 49

redempted overnight. If your policies are strong enough, based on real term assumptions about

whatever is happening externally and internally, your national image will be constructed

automatically.” (S. Malik, personal communication, 2023).

Dean and professor of political science and international relations at International Islamic

University, further emphasized that, “When we are formulating policy, we should keep in mind

our official goals which we have declared as policy goals. And for that purpose, those goals

should be in conformity with the national interests of your own country, rather than any other

country. When Pakistan entered into the War on Terror. It was not a well thought process through

national discourse. It was decided by General Musharraf and he entered into the War on Terror

without having any institution on board, though at that time, he could consult his own people. He

might have consulted his Court commander or so, but we are not aware about that because he has

not taken the nation on board and he decided everything on his own. And when you are making

some national policy decisions, they should be well-discussed. It is true that sometimes when

you are having contingency decisions, you have to take conditions into the decisions. Even then,

the policy making process is the same. We have read in foreign policy analysis, in public policy

analysis that we can expedite policy making processes, but the steps are not skipped.” (A.

Mehmood, personal communication, 2023).

According to a renowned political scientist and defense analyst, “National Image can be

positive, neutral or negative. Due to GWOT, Pakistan’s national image was improved because

Pakistan decided to pick the right side by choosing Western democracy instead of Taliban.

Pakistan’s participation in GWOT was essentially positive development due to which Pakistan’s

image was improved. Now that GWOT has ended and OBL was captured in Abbottabad, our

image globally is not very positive anymore especially when we are suffering from attacks by
 50

Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan(TTP). Hence there is a revival of America's interest to deal with the

terrorist threat in Pakistan.” (R. Hussain, personal communication, 2023).

An esteemed retired Major General emphasized that, “policy should be designed for

greater good of the greater numbers over a sustained period of time. and that should be workable

over a sustained period of time.”(I. Haque, personal communication, 2022).

Executive Director of Center for Research and Security Studies, emphasizing on policy

factors stated that, “The National Image relies on policies, whether it's foreign policy or internal

policy. And this requires a great degree of transparency in policies, a great degree of clarity on

the goals and obviously consistency. These are the basics of any policy. In absence of these, and

when there are contradictions in commitment and in practice no matter how good the foreign

policy is it cannot generate a positive image.” (I. Gul, personal communication, 2023).

The Principal of School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NUST and a well known

economist emphasized on the importance of representation on international forums stating that,

“For designing policies for the national image, it is very pertinent to have a narrative so that you

can explain those narratives within and outside the country. Secondly, on international forums,

no seat should be left empty because different representatives of nations are present, and your

opponents will present their narrative. However, if there is no representative from your nation or

if a representative is sent but is unaware of realities and lacks knowledge, without any briefing

about what to say regarding Pakistan's narrative, they will either remain silent or present a

baseless narrative. As a result, our opponents' narrative will be embraced by the global

community, tarnishing our image. Therefore, we should not leave any seat on the international or

global forum empty. We must send well-trained, knowledgeable, and well-briefed representatives
 51

so that they have substance in what they will be presenting regarding narratives on the global

forum.”(A. H. Khan, personal communication, 2023).

According to a retired Colonel, “It will take quite a long time to rebuild the image. For

that it is pertinent for foreign missions to promote Pakistan’s national motto through movies,

documentaries, exhibitions. It should be seen practically that image is being rebuilt because in

today's time our image is being ruined day by day instead of improving.”(M. Javaid, personal

communication, 2023).

They further emphasized that, “If our own national policies are strong and we are

cognizant of when and where to defend ourselves and our motherland such policies strengthen

the national image.”(M. Javaid, personal communication, 2023).

An army officer retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel elaborated that “Today we are

living in a world wherein different cultures, societies and nations are interconnected through

innumerable channels like, social media, diplomats, art and culture, tourism, businessmen, arts

and sports, academia and all these segments of society are connected with each other through

these multiple channels. People from different states and from all walks of life have their

personal interests connected with each other. Therefore, minor changes in the security situation/

socio-political or economic policy of one state directly affect people living in other states; and

consequently, reshaping the national image of that state. Therefore, whatever national policy we

devise, it will have implications in social, political, economic and strategic domain. Firstly, we

need to analyze what is the existing image of Pakistan. Regrettably we are regarded as one of the

most corrupt nations, our judiciary stands at no 134 in the world, transparency international has

placed us at no. 132; we are politically unstable, economically bankrupt and in a nearly to default

situation; Nepotism, corruption and other malpractices have enriched in our blood; art, culture
 52

and sports all are on decline. Other states do not like coming to Pakistan for sports, CPEC

authority has been rolled back and above all we are tagged as extremists and terrorists. While

devising our policy all political, social, economic and strategic domains need to be addressed

simultaneously, all these domains are interlinked such that oversight and lapses in any one of the

above will directly affect the image of the country. The policy should be such that it should

positively affect all these domains. So, in a nutshell we can deduce that the states which have

little structural and cultural violence are more developed, and economically more strong; Hence,

they reflect a positive image to rest of the world.”(N. Dar, personal communication, 2022).

According to the former associate dean at Centre for International Peace and Stability,

NUST and presently Senior Research Fellow Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad, “Image can

only be improved if our policies are practical”(T. Yamin, personal communication, 2022). In the

start of discussion it was emphasized by the former dean of Centre for International Peace and

Stability that “Soft images cannot be constructed verbally. For creating a soft image, national

policies need to be improved and strengthened. On 18 December 2022, the Taliban being held

for interrogation at the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station Bannu overpowered

their captors and a full-fledged military operation by the SSG had to be launched to get the

hostages released. 25 people were killed in the shootout. This does not represent the soft image

of Pakistan. Terrorism has resurfaced and the Taliban have been on a rampage killing worshipers

in a mosque located in the police lines in Peshawar and they have stormed the Karachi Police

Station. Our policies are very unrealistic and actions kneejerk. A man accused of blasphemy was

pulled out of a police lock up in Nankana Sahib was pulled out and lynched by an enraged crowd

and women and children have died in the provate prison of a Baloch Sardar in Barkhan, To build

a soft Image we need to do a lot of hard work and have to be persistent. Tolerance has to be
 53

created in society. We need to respect each other's sentiments and treat our women and minorities

fairly, if we want to build a soft image. We cannot blame the US for our sins. As a nation we

need to take care of the weak and vulnerable elements of society.``(T. Yamin, personal

communication, 2022).

Executive Director Sustainable Peace And Development Organization (SPADO),

elaborated that, “Firstly we need to know which policy we are looking into for image building.

Once we know the policy then you plan it accordingly. For example, if we talk about tourism

policy, it also plays a role in image building. generally speaking, today's world is more

interconnected and interdependent, so in case of conflict anywhere particularly when we talk

about peace UK government’s, European Union and even US’s have policies that whenever there

is a conflict, there is high risk of illegal migration and one cannot restrict them because young

youths becomes a threat to illegal migrants. So in the context of peace, Pakistan’s motive should

be to tell the world that we have prevented the violent extremism, we have remained on the

forefront, our sacrifices should be acknowledged by the world and there should be a continuation

in it. Another important factor in today's time it's not that we talk in context of local security or

national security. Now there is a new concept called human security. Human security is a people

centered security. If there is no people centered approach in policy designing, it will have a

global impact. You cannot stop anyone from going anywhere. There is a stability framework of

the UK government that aims at bringing stability to conflict driven areas because it will result

beneficial for the UK because stability in conflict areas means stability in the UK.”(R. Shah,

personal communication, 2023).

 54

Retired Lieutenant Colonel and PhD scholar claimed that, “The key aspects should be the

eradication of terrorism, extremism and racism on a regional level in Pakistan and structural

reforms that have accountability in institutions.”(R. Amin, personal communication, 2023).

A renowned Newscaster, and Dawn news primetime show host, through the perspective

of media and news credibility emphasized that, “It is crucial to first determine whether Pakistan's

image on worldwide media is being depicted positively or negatively in order to develop a

national image. It is not now depicted positively. If we examine worldwide media coverage over

the past five years, we can see that terrorism and extremism were the main topics, and Pakistan

was frequently blamed for playing double game. The reality that we have been victims of

terrorism, which has caused over 70,000 casualties, excruciating martyrdom, and innumerable

sacrifices by journalists, is one narrative that was left out of the discussion. Furthermore, the

foreign media has not acknowledged the fact that we are the only country to have conducted

large-scale operations. There are reasons for why this hasn't occurred. One of the key reasons is

that we get internally focused because our media is heavily involved in domestic politics. Our

attention is not directed outwardly. Political polarization has divided the media. Apart from

Dawn, there aren't many outlets that give a balanced view through independent reporting because

political polarization has divided the media. Pakistan's media has thus lost trust on a global scale.

While we have a narrative and the ability to build a narrative, the question remains as to who will

present this narrative. Journalists should be responsible for presenting the narrative, but when

their credibility is compromised due to domestic politics, there will be a failure in creating a

positive perception on the international media stage. Therefore, our main issue lies in the lack of

a balanced and credible media. Until we expand the platform for credible media, regardless of
 55

how strong or powerful our narrative is, the international media will not embrace it.”(A.

Shahzeb, personal communication, 2023).

According to an esteemed professor from the department of Development Studies in

NUST, “Since independence Pakistan has been suffering from political instability. Until there are

no overall political reforms in Pakistan at a bigger level with a strong system of accountability

and credible media the national image cannot be improved,.”(A. Khan, personal communication,

2023)
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Chapter 5 Research Analysis

5.1 Perception of Pakistan

Upon analysis of data, it was inferred from respondents' opinions that on global level

Pakistan is perceived negatively. This negative perception is developed by the media which as

claimed by respondents has shaped their opinions. However, it was further analyzed that upon

visiting Pakistan, the perception of non-Pakistanis are changed to a massive extent upon gaining

first-hand experience of staying in the country. Upon visiting Pakistan, perception of

non-Pakistanis is generally changed prominently due to the rich heritage and hospitable nature of

Pakistanis.

A positive take away from the research findings is that hospitality is the national

character of Pakistanis. The analysis identified how international media covers about a nation

shapes the way a particular nation is perceived. According to Ali et al., (2019) “New York Times

and The Guardian, Pakistan primed issues of nuclear assets, terrorism, health and human rights

violations. Media coverage is largely determinant by the economic, political and strategic

interests” (Ali et al., 2019).

It was also found that perception of Pakistan is also commonly based on the geopolitical

situation, internal chaos, and lack of global representation.

Firstly, the geopolitical situation shapes the perception as due to it, the majority of

respondents were of the opinion that due to its geopolitical dynamics, particularly border

disputes with India, and involvement in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Pakistan is
 57

viewed as a significant actor in the region. According to an expert from article published in FES

Asia on January 2023:

“Pakistan is geographically located in a region long plagued with political instability. Having

Afghanistan and Iran, which are both largely isolated from the international system, on its

western border and a challenging relationship with India to its east, Pakistan must meander

through difficult terrain. Coupled with this is the intensifying competition between the US and

China, Pakistan’s northern neighbor.” (FES, 2023)

Secondly, internal chaos impacted the national image to a great extent as the foreigner

participants perceived Pakistan to be a country with a complex political situation which is rather

true. According to Mahmood(2023),“The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)

expressed its concern over the ongoing political and economic turmoil in the country and its

serious impact on the human rights situation. The report, titled ‘The State of Human Rights in

2022’ noted that political victimization continued throughout the year, with colonial-era sedition

laws being weaponized to stifle the voice of dissent.” (Mahmood, 2023). This emphasizes that

due to political chaos, Pakistan is perceived as a state suffering from human insecurity and a

dangerous place to live.

Thirdly, talking about lack of global attention, it is perceived that geopolitical challenges

and conflicts are a hindrance for Pakistan to be represented on a global level.

5.2 Impact of Pakistan’s policies during GWOT on National Image

The research, which used semi-structured interviews with prominent specialists, sought to

obtain a variety of viewpoints on Pakistan's participation in the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

The interviews revealed a number of topics that shed light on Pakistan's goals, strategies,

difficulties, and results at this time.

 58

One repeated topic was on Pakistan's alleged double-dealing, with the former head of the

Pakistani CIA station expressing mistrust for the government and its backing of the Taliban

while also working with the US. As a non-NATO ally, Pakistan benefited from its participation in

the GWOT, according to experts, especially in terms of financial support and improved security

cooperation. Pakistani experts stressed the importance of taking into account Pakistan's national

security interests when developing policies during the GWOT, as Pakistan had to strike a delicate

balance between supporting the West and managing its relationship with the Taliban due to the

fear of potential repercussions after the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. The

interviews brought to light the military's predominate influence on Pakistani policies, particularly

those pertaining to security and relations with foreign allies, which prompted questions regarding

the participation of civilian institutions in decision-making processes. Due to its past ties to the

Afghan Taliban and its engagement in Kashmir-related conflicts, Pakistan's foreign policy

suffered from a lack of trust, which hurt its reputation globally and constrained its options on the

world stage. According to some experts, the GWOT monies were misappropriated since they

were used more for personal gain than for national interests.

Additionally, flaws in the civil administration's capability, internal government

coordination, and communication tactics were found. Challenges included a lack of long-term

preparation for potential post-GWOT scenarios, problems with governance, and a disregard for

the wellbeing of the average person. For Pakistan to project a favorable and soft image,

education was considered to be essential, but the nation's poor performance in terms of the

percentage of children who are not in school revealed substantial obstacles.

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5.3 Role of India in Tarnishing National Image of Pakistan

Upon analysis of data it has been identified that India and Pakistan have bitter historical

roots that have given birth to enmity. Pakistan’s internal weakness and complicated situation in

the War on Terror was a golden opportunity for India to destroy and attack Pakistan. India

targeted at destroying Pakistan’s image and reputation through propaganda spreading against

Pakistan particularly through the EU's disinformation lab.

Several repeating themes regarding India's contribution to Pakistan's image damage

during the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) are shown by the research done through

interviews. First off, many respondents saw India as an opponent, painting Pakistan as a haven

for terrorists by taking advantage of Pakistan's internal flaws. Secondly, the employment of

propaganda and misinformation activities by India to disseminate false information and fabricate

unfavorable narratives about Pakistan is also heavily emphasized. Thirdly, interviewees claim

that India intentionally draws attention to the differences between Pakistan and the United States

by bringing up Pakistan's claimed role in Kashmir militancy as well as its backing for terrorist

organisations.

Another motivating element highlighted is the long-standing animosity between India and

Pakistan. According to some respondents, India's activities are part of a long-standing strategy to

weaken Pakistan. The relevance of geopolitical competition is stressed, particularly in light of

India's attempts to balance Pakistan's strategic importance by forming alliances with

Afghanistan.

Additionally, it is believed that India is using international fora like the UN to further its

diplomatic efforts to denigrate Pakistan. The study also addresses US support for India, which is

thought to give India a chance to damage Pakistan's reputation. The inclusion of Pakistan on the
 60

FATF's "grey list" and India's creation of a disinformation lab in Europe are two other

noteworthy factors. Finally, respondents emphasise India's competitiveness across a range of

fields, including the military, economy, propaganda, espionage, and global ties. These themes

collectively shed insight on the opinions and points of view of the people surveyed, creating a

story that emphasises India's alleged contribution to Pakistan's reputational damage during the

GWOT.

5.4 Key elements in Policy designing for national image building

Upon analysis it has been identified that policy designing particularly for national image

is a multifaceted task involving a number of factors and elements that are pertinent ingredients

for policy designing.

Firstly, it is important to identify policy parameters, areas of policy making that needs to

be focused, identifying internal and external dynamics, and identifying target audience.

Secondly, it is pertinent to analyze the impact of policy on internal and external audiences

through real time data. Real-time data offers current and reliable information on the application

of rules and their results. This makes it possible for policymakers to decide with knowledge and

make changes as necessary, ensuring that policies are successful and in line with their intended

goals.

Thirdly, a policy must be long-lasting, sustainable, and dynamic. Being long-lasting

guarantees that a policy may offer stability and predictability, fostering a sense of security and

confidence in its application among people and organizations. Moving further, to ensure that a

policy can resist changing conditions, such as changes in technology, social standards, or

economic constraints, sustainability is essential. Lastly, being dynamic allows a policy to

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respond to new problems and demands. A dynamic policy may be improved regularly and

continue to be relevant in a world that is constantly changing by incorporating feedback,

assessing results, and encouraging ongoing discussion.

Fourthly, defining policy goals that must align with the national interest of the country is

crucial. Setting policy objectives in accordance with the national interest aids in preserving and

advancing the nation's security, prosperity, and sovereignty. It guarantees that policies prioritize

defending national boundaries, maintaining national identity, and protecting essential resources

and infrastructure. Policymakers can foresee and handle possible risks and vulnerabilities, both

locally and globally, by taking into account the national interest, creating resilience and

maintaining a strong position in the international arena.

Fifthly, a policy must be based upon transparency, clarity and consistency. Transparency

promotes trust and accountability by ensuring that the policy-making process is transparent and

open to all stakeholders. When decisions are made in secret, it can raise questions and undermine

trust in the policy-making process. Moreover, the chance of mistakes or non-compliance

decreases when policies are clear since there is no space for misunderstanding or confusion.

Individuals may find it difficult to comprehend their responsibilities when policies are unclear,

which could result in inconsistent application and unforeseen effects. Lastly, Consistency

increases the likelihood that decisions will be made fairly and without bias, levelling the playing

field for all parties.

Sixthly, policies should be people centric. When policies are people centric, individuals'

rights, needs, and well-being are prioritized. These policies support a more inclusive, equitable,

and responsive society or organization by boosting quality of life, ensuring fairness and equality,

fostering empowerment and participation, advancing sustainable development, and creating trust.
 62

Lastly and most importantly having a narrative and ability to present the narrative is a

very crucial element for policy designing to build national image. Narrative should be built to

promote national interest of the country and narrative must be presented with credibility. A

strong and authentic narrative influences perceptions and fosters a sense of community and

identity among residents. It provides a distinct vision and overall goals that direct policy actions.

Chapter 6 Recommendations and Conclusion

6.1 Way forward for Pakistan to rebuild its tarnished image

A valuable chunk of information and highly valued opinions were gathered. former

associate dean at Centre for International Peace and Stability, NUST and presently Senior

Research Fellow Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad, shared their valuable opinion stating “I

believe no matter what policy you make. Be it defense policy or religious policy or agriculture

policy it should be for the good of the common man. Our policies are made for the 1% elite. Soft

image can only be built when we are morally and ethically correct. The soft image can only be

made if our rulers have the interest of the nation at heart. Unfortunately, we are suffering from a

governance issue. For soft image education is highly pertinent. Our country is ranked 2nd from

the bottom in terms of out of school children. We are placed even below Sub-Saharan Africa.”(T.

Yamin, personal communication, 2022).

In the start of personal communication Executive Director Sustainable Peace And

Development Organization (SPADO), shared their views stating “What I feel is that we are right

now promoting terrorism and this is a narrative that has been built. However, in retrospect if we
 63

see we realize that we are no longer in an active war. There is no active war on the soil of

Pakistan. But our casualties be it military or civilian they are very high on almost daily basis.

What has happened is that we have remained a part of the coalition of the Global War on Terror.

It's important to make the world realize that we have remained on the forefront and we are on the

forefront.”(R. Shah, personal communication, 2023). At the wrap-up the esteemed executive

director shared some recommendations for rebuilding the tarnished image. Those

recommendations are as follow:

1. “National Action Plan(NAP) if implemented effectively especially its soft components it

can play a key role in rebuilding of image

2. Trust building between state and civil society is pertinent for image building

3. Mutual trust policy between state and citizen

4. Academia plays a prominent role. In the UK there's a sector called the third sector with a

sitting minister who happens to be minister of civil society. Their policy is to take policy

making inputs from academic institutions and civil society.

5. State’s understanding of the importance of nation building is crucial. State issues NOC to

NGO in which it is stated that you cannot use the word peacebuilding.”(R. Shah, personal

communication, 2023)

The esteemed reitried Lieutenant Colonel and PhD scholar emphasized on the role of

military for rebuilding the tarnished image as a way forward as they stated that, “Dedicated

efforts of armed forces are required to eliminate/eradicate terrorism in the region. Furthermore,

political consensus of all political parties/groups are required to be on one grid for the

eradication of terror activities and the long term national interest of the state.”(R. Amin,

personal communication, 2023). he esteemed principal of School of Social Sciences and

 64

Humanities, NUST, emphasized that, “An active foreign minister, foreign office, and ministry of

information are required to represent a strong image of Pakistan.”(A. H. Khan, personal

communication, 2023).

According to a renowned political scientist and defense analyst, “Accentuating the

positive and minimizing the negative is very crucial for national image building. Presently, our

economic condition is miserable until our economy isn't stable and our image cannot be built. It

is also very important to pursue a policy of self-reliance with great emphasis on mobilizing our

own resources.”(R. Hussain, personal communication, 2023).

A renowned newscaster and Dawn News primetime show host while emphasizing on

media credibility presented recommendations stating, “Firstly, Credible journalists are the need

of hour for presenting your perspective on international media. Moreover, it is important for

Pakistan’s image to keep international narrative presenters away from domestic politics.

Additionally, there should be a collective agreement that economy and security will neither be

compromised nor will be used for political motives. This is important because in present times

both our economy and security are deteriorated severely and it must be handled as a single

nation, state, country. Just like Benazir Bhutto’s Charter of Democracy, a Charter of Economy

must be created based on one point agenda i.e. domestic politics must not be done at the cost of

our economy”(A. Shahzeb, personal communication, 2023).

Assistant Professor at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-I-Azam

University , emphasized that, “Our national image will be improved when our house is in order.

Moreover, it is high time for civil and military institutions to go back to their actual mandate i.e.

if civil institutions are underperforming they must up their act and if military institutions are

overperformed they must step down.” (S. Malik, personal communication, 2023).
 65

The Executive Director of Research and Security Studies, emphasized that, “Unless there

is a balance between the civilian and the security forces as far as the foreign policy issues are

concerned, it will be very difficult for Pakistan to come up with a credible, externally acceptable

perception.”(I. Gul, personal communication, 2023).

In terms of economy, the Dean and professor of political science and international

relations at International Islamic University suggested that, “When we are talking about national

issues. This would be a clear line that this is the political affair and this is the national affair. On

national affairs, we have to generate a consensus and this should be on one page opposition and

government both. They should be clear about it that this is the national policy and it should be

honored.” (A. Mehmood, personal communication, 2023).

6.2 Policy Recommendations

6.2.1 Strengthening Education Sector

Building a strong national brand requires strengthening the education system. The

educational system of a country is crucial in determining how its population will live in the

future and in advancing the nation as a whole. In 2022, Pakistan’s literacy rate was 62.8%

meaning that more than 60 million people cannot read or write (Express Tribune, 2023). In order

to rebuild the tarnished image it is crucial that we strengthen our education sector. Strengthening

education will play a key role in fostering tolerance, harmony and peace (Express Tribune,

2023), all of which are cornerstone for a strong nation image.

 66

6.2.2 Trust building between state and civil society

The state must prioritize transparency and accountability in order to build this trust by

making sure that decision-making procedures are transparent and accountable. The active

participation of civil society organizations in policymaking through discussions and dialogues is

another crucial component of inclusive governance. Building trust requires upholding the rule of

law and respecting human rights because they show that the government is committed to

defending citizens' rights. According to Khan & Khan, (2004), “There is a need to develop a

space and an enabling environment that allows these organizations to grow in number and

develop as independent self-sustaining institutions.” (Khan & Khan, 2004).

6.2.3 Promoting Academia

Promoting academia plays a crucial role in building a strong national image. A country's

academic institutions serve as the foundation of its intellectual and educational infrastructure,

and by showcasing and supporting academia, a nation can demonstrate its commitment to

education, innovation, and intellectual growth. This commitment can significantly contribute to

the country's overall reputation and image on a global scale. By emphasizing research and

innovation, offering scholarships and exchange programs, attracting world-class faculty,

fostering collaborations and partnerships, hosting international conferences and events,

embracing digital education, promoting cultural and intellectual exchanges, and engaging alumni

networks, a country can establish itself as a knowledge-driven society. Such efforts not only

foster intellectual growth and innovation but also enhance the nation's image as a global

collaborator and leader in education and research.

 67

6.2.4 Emphasizing nation building

Pakistan needs to prioritize national-building activities that concentrate on diverse issues

a high priority in order to develop a positive national image. The importance of nation-building

initiatives is crucial for developing a strong sense of national identity that not only fosters

harmony among varied communities but also improves Pakistan's reputation on the international

stage.

6.2.5 United efforts for eradication of terrorist activities

For Pakistan to improve its image internationally, terrorist operations must be put an end.

A nation free from the grip of terrorism inspires confidence in its people, draws in investment,

and boosts tourism, all of which promote economic growth and prosperity. Pakistan may position

itself as a safe and secure destination for business and leisure activities by displaying its

successes in combating terrorism. Additionally, a stronger national reputation would boost

Pakistan's diplomatic ties, encouraging cooperation and confidence with other countries.

6.2.6 Policy of self reliance

The self-reliance policy has a lot of promise for fostering a powerful and favourable

national identity. A nation can demonstrate its resiliency and self-sufficiency through fostering

economic independence by lowering its dependency on imports from elsewhere and increasing

home output. This increases economic stability and fosters a sense of pride in one's country.

Self-reliance also improves national security by minimizing the risks linked to relying on outside

sources for essential materials and technologies. A nation can portray itself as strong and

self-sufficient by investing in its own defense capabilities. Another important component of

 68

self-reliance is technological development, which promotes innovation and establishes a country

as a global leader in particular industries. This promotes economic expansion and strengthens the

nation's reputation as a technologically advanced, progressive nation.

6.2.7 Credible media

Accuracy, objectivity, and responsible reporting are priorities for reputable media sources

that are needed to improve Pakistan's national image. These media outlets are essential in

forming and conveying the nation's image to home and foreign audiences. Credible media outlets

can effectively highlight Pakistan's rich cultural legacy, economic progress, and breakthroughs in

a variety of industries. Examples include well-known newspapers, television networks, and

internet news portals. These media outlets may counter negative narratives, remove prejudices,

and advance a more nuanced view of Pakistan's varied community by providing fair and

thorough coverage of national problems. They can showcase achievements, encouraging trends,

and initiatives made by the public and corporate sectors as well as by civil society, highlighting

the nation's potential for development, innovation, and improvement.

6.3 Conclusion

An important factor influencing a nation's survival, wealth, and status internationally is

its national image. In the case of Pakistan, the nation has had a number of problems, and one of

the main causes of these difficulties is its damaged national reputation. The study's objective was

to determine the causes of Pakistan's problems with its national image by analyzing the policy

factors that were put in place during the GWOT's pre- and post-era. The study shed light on the

underlying issues that have affected Pakistan's national image through an extensive assessment
 69

of the literature and semi-structured interviews with government officials, intellectuals,

academicians, and specialists. It became clear that Pakistan's connection to terrorism,

geopolitical issues, domestic unrest, and lack of international representation have greatly

contributed to its unfavorable reputation abroad. The study also emphasized how India played a

part in damaging Pakistan's national reputation by deliberately exploiting Pakistan's weaknesses

and engaging in propaganda and disinformation campaigns. Pakistan's reputation has been worse

as a result of India's efforts to portray Pakistan as a state supporting terrorism and its diplomatic

actions on global stages. Policy factors of Pakistan during the time of the Global War on Terror

was explored through semi structured interviews. Through analysis it was revealed that Pakistan

was in a complex landscape where it had to support the West and maintain relations with Taliban

due to its geostrategic importance. Pakistan’s internal weakness, political instability, and weak

governance were the major factors that contributed to overall challenge and further contributed

in tarnishing of the image. Effective policies must be developed in order to restore and enhance

Pakistan's national image. Focus should be placed on strengthening governance and the rule of

law, correcting internal flaws, thwarting misinformation and propaganda, and highlighting

Pakistan's strong qualities, such as its rich history and friendliness. A good narrative regarding

Pakistan's accomplishments and contributions should be promoted, and education also plays a

significant part in establishing a positive image. Pakistan must also take the initiative in its

diplomatic efforts to oppose India's defamatory campaign and strengthen its standing

internationally. Pakistan's position on the international scene can be enhanced by cooperation

with other nations and organizations. All that is only possible when the house is in order.

The research examined the complicated nature of Pakistan's challenges with its national

image and the complexity of establishing policies for national image enhancement. Pakistan may
 70

try to restore its national reputation both domestically and globally by addressing the stated

problems and enacting successful policies. In addition to boosting Pakistan's prosperity, a

favorable national reputation will also help the nation's relations with other nations, tourism,

security, and commercial prospects. In the end, Pakistan has a more promising future ahead of it,

one in which it can realize its full potential and rebuild its national reputation.
 71

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Appendix

Adil Shahzeb, interview by Kashaf Imran, February 28, 2023, Dawn News Office, Islamabad,

Pakistan

Colonel Mansoor Javaid, interview by Kashaf Imran, February 5, 2023, Residence, Islamabad,

Pakistan

Dr. Amna Mehmood, interview by Kashaf Imran, December 22, 2022, Head of Department

Office, International Islamic University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

Dr. Ashfaque Hassan Khan, interview by Kashaf Imran, April 12, 2023, Principal Office, NUST,

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Dr. Lt. Col. (R) Rooh ul Amin, interview by Kashaf Imran, February 27, 2023, Phone Call

Dr. Riffat Hussain, interview by Kashaf Imran, March 9, 2023, Conference Room, NUST,

Islamabad, Pakistan

Dr. Salma Malik, interview by Kashaf Imran, May 13, 2023, Google Meet Call

Imtiaz Gul, interview by Kashaf Imran, March 13, 2023, Zoom Call

Lt. Col. (R) Naeem Dar, interview by Kashaf Imran, February 22, 2023, Phone Call

Major General (R) Inam ul Haque, interview by Kashaf Imran, December 20, 2022, IWS

Solutions Pvt Ltd Office, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Raza Shah, interview by Kashaf Imran, February 28, 2023, SPADO Office, RDF Complex

branch, Islamabad, Pakistan

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Robert Grenier, interview by Kashaf Imran, May 24, 2023, Google Meet Call

Tughral Yamin, interview by Kashaf Imran, December 21, 2022, associate Dean Office, NUST,

Islamabad, Pakistan