PTI's hymns of hate.

Elected as US President in 1912, Woodrow Wilson came into office in 1913 with what many considered a neutral stance on foreign matters. It was Wilson's goal to keep America completely out of World War I, which began in 1914, and have the country serve as a peacemaker for other nations.

Fighting broke out in Europe in August 1914; Germany, Russia, France and many other countries were involved in the conflict. Despite best efforts by Wilson to avoid war, America was forced to become involved after continued German submarine attacks, and Wilson offered assistance to the Allied forces in 2017.

The biggest challenge faced by Wilson and his administration was to convince American general public about necessity of the war. This resulted in establishment of a propaganda machine called the Creel Committee, which turned the peaceful American public into a warmongering nation within a span of six months.

As retrieved from University of California and University of Michigan documents, the Wilson administration established the Committee on Public Information (1917-1919) under George Creel, commonly known as the CPI or the Creel Committee, as an independent agency of the US government to sway public opinion.

As stated by Thomas Fleming, the CPI trained tens of thousands of volunteer speakers to make patriotic speeches during the four-minute pauses required to change reels in the many movie theatres that were in use. They also gave speeches in labour unions, churches, clubs, fraternal organisations and even logging camps. The group disseminated its message by newsprint, posters, radio, telegraph and films. It enlisted roughly 75,000 'Four Minute Men', volunteers who spoke for the perfect four minutes on the war at social gatherings. They talked about the war's justifications, the draught, rationing, war bond drives and victory gardens. Although the content of Creel propaganda was based on hate for German nation, the volunteers were told to avoid hymns of hate, keep their message positive, and speak for themselves at all times.

Did PTI create its own Creel Committee and used hymns of hate to expand its political space in Pakistan and target the most cohesive institution of Pakistan - Army and ISI?

The state and Pakistan's youth helped PTI's erratic ascent to power, and this plant was fostered in the hope that it would offer an alternative political force that could lead Pakistan towards peace and prosperity. The PTI leadership began to cultivate a cult of...