How the pro-war rhetoric changed overnight in India?
Just a day ago the local media including the social media was being presided by warmongers in the nuclear-armed eastern neighbor of Pakistan.
Each and everyone who has access to the various means of media was convincing its audience that ‘WAR’ is necessary. Top Indian journalist including prominent show-biz personalities, sports personalities were spewing hatred against Pakistan.
To one’s astonishment world’s largest democracy has proven to be weak at heart where deliberately blame was put on another sovereign state, which has reserving right to defend itself.
It all started after the 14 of February incident when a suicide bomber hit a convoy of paramilitary forces in Pulwama, in Indian Occupied Kashmir region. And instantly blame of this attack was thrust upon Pakistan.
And further escalating the tension in the region, there Indian Army claimed to have hit a terrorist training camp in the Balakot area in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, which killed 350 militants. But no visual proof was provided there was only laud talk on every kind of existing media.
This act was lauded by the Indian media in every possible form. The supporting cast in all this adventurism was provided by virtual comrades on social media, who had no realization of about how horrible actual war is.
Though such claim of the surgical strike was denied by Pakistan, Pakistan’s military spokesman, Major General Asif Ghafoor, in a presser briefed that Indian warplanes dropped their payloads without causing any casualties or damage to infrastructure, along with the images if the affected area which received the payload.
But instantly, there were war drums being beaten by the media across the border the only thing on the agenda was to teach Pakistan a lesson. The strike was celebrated with glee by many of the Indian celebrities.
To name a few here is what they have shared a day ago:
I am an Indian journalist who cut my teeth reporting war from the front line. I have no faux neutrality about my country being engaged in a decades old low grade war by Pakistan backed terror groups. My full support to @IAF_MCC for this. This is not war mongering. Its justice https://t.co/CQQcoxrCEA
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) February 26, 2019
Mess with the best, die like the rest. Salute #IndianAirForce.@narendramodi.
— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) February 26, 2019
What an explosive morning ! As india celebrates ! I salute the 12 bravehearts for meting out justice for our Pulwama boys ! Our Neighbours often complain of being victims of terrorism themselves .. they need to thank us . 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 Jai Hind.
— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) February 26, 2019
Hashtags like #indiastrikesback, #terroristanpakistan, #pakapologist kept trending all over the social media. but did anyone took notice of such hate speech against Pakistan? no international audience kept enjoying the ongoing tussle.
Let’s just focus on the leading Indian Journalist Barkha Dutt, who was not following any of the journalistic ethics.
As expected Pakistan calls #airstrikes "fictious" but wants 'right to retaliation". If its all untrue what is the retaliation for? . Too many clumsy contradictions FROM Pakistan all day #airstrikes #Balakot #PulwamaAttack
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) February 26, 2019
The line of control and international border has heated up as expected after #AirStrikes. Heaving firing is on at multiple forward posts. The tenuous 2003 ceasefire which has more or less held through ups and downs is likely first theatre of next set of action. #IndiaStrikesBack
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) February 26, 2019
Exclusive: "Great Political Will shown by @narendramodi government & kudos to @IAF_MCC" says @ltgenhooda in exclusive with me on #IndiaStrikesBack. He led Surgical Strikes 1.0 & is setting up security task force for Congress. Watch & share here & @NewsHtn https://t.co/uhg5EZbd49
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) February 26, 2019
Well, to be honest, it wasn’t their fault completely. Being Indian celebrities they were compelled to do such a thing in the name of patriotism and it was a natural response to the spoon feeding they had received.
Warmongering, jingoism, and adventurism have been a common tool for the politicians in the federal parliamentary democratic republic of India.
Pakistan had warned earlier as being the election year, there could be another attempt of adventurism by the Indian PM to secure the win in the general elections.
The daylight on the morning of 27th of February brought ugly developments. No one in India had expected what the other day of their strategic strike claim will bring upon them.
Pakistan conducted successful strikes across LoC, shot down 2 Indian aircraft and captured 2 IAF pilots. And after the successful demonstration of military capability, Prime Minister Imran once again invites India for peace talks.
Social media which has been trending with opinions about conflict, surgical strikes, hatred towards Pakistan; saw a major paradigm shift. Pakistanis have no tolerance, no appetite, for jingoism or war; #saynotowar started to trend in Pakistan, before hitting the worldwide No. 1 spot on Twitter, on 27th of February.
There was a far mature response from the Pakistani side, which somehow perplexed the Indian media as well. Many have already seen the immature response, here is how the media tone changed after Pakistani retaliation and capturing Indian Pilot.
While addressing the nation in the wake of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shooting down two Indian aircraft inside Pakistani airspace, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “I wanted to take you into confidence regarding the situation arising since yesterday. We offered India that we are ready to cooperate with them in any kind of investigation after the Pulwama attack.”
“I want to now address India and say let sanity prevail. Let’s think sensibly. All wars in the world have been started on miscalculations on the time and the human cost of war. This was the same with the First World War, with the Second World War, the war on terror, the Vietnam War. The history of the world shows us wars have always been a miscalculation,” PM Imran Khan asserted.
This was the best ever response which could have been expected form a person who is the heading a country. And another decent show was put onward by Pakistan Army.
Obviously, it wasn’t expected on the other side of the border as their pilot who also happens to be the wing commander of the Indian Air force fell as the prisoner of war to the Pakistan army.
The video interview was telecast, showing Indian Pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, holding a cup of tea lauding Pakistan Army for its professionalism and thanking for saving him from the mob.
All of a sudden situation deescalated across the border, the tone changed warmongering was replaced with #PeaceNotWar
Here is how Barkha Dutt sounded after a few hours of her earlier tweet:
. @ImranKhanPTI calls for talks with India in a televised address. Best gesture in these grim times for giving peace a chance would be to release our Wing Commander Abhinandan and hand him back to India.
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) February 27, 2019
Not just her, many of her fellow Indians had a moment of realization and there tone dramatically changed:
The right thing to do Pakistan! Treating soldiers with respect is the humanitarian thing to do … https://t.co/nzvsLglost
— Huma Qureshi (@humasqureshi) February 27, 2019
Boycott me for what?For saying no to war, for wanting Unity in this great country of ours?For not seeing differences amongst Hindus or Muslims?For wanting terrorists captured?Or maybe its bec I differ from your political ideology & u cant bear to hear me say that ovr & ovr again. https://t.co/RBYsSuxMyv
— Farah Khan (@FarahKhanAli) February 27, 2019
It’s a war against terror not between 2 nations yet. Dear Media —-you can actually stop this escalation .. please let’s be responsible and work towards peace.
— Ranganathan Madhavan (@ActorMadhavan) February 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/BollywoodGandu/status/1100661917830516736
Wake up. Now! pic.twitter.com/kHR2SLzhm8
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) February 27, 2019
War-mongers on social media are egging on #India and #pakistan, both nuclear nations, to go to war? What if we do? 90% of the world's population may die of starvation. Watch and
#SayNotoWar.India demand a FULL investigation & the TRUTH of #Pulwama.
— Rita Banerji (@Rita_Banerji) February 27, 2019
Now it seems that most have gone silent, or have had a shift in their stance. One should always keep in mind wars cannot be controlled once started. Glorifying war without actual realization is a crime against humanity. There is nothing uglier than war, don’t you wish that the world would just be a better place without having to go to war for it? Sanity must prevail.
Quoting Pakistani PM Imran Khan from his 27th of February address will be the best thing to conclude over this piece of writing;
“I ask India; with our weapons capability, on both sides, can we afford a miscalculation? It will neither be in my control or Modi’s. The hurt that has been caused due to the Pulwama attack, we want to come to the table and talk about terrorism that affects us both. We are ready. Let better sense prevail,” Pakistani PM Imran Khan urged.
