Under a Hindu-centric government since 2014, one of the core tenets of the BJP has been to undermine and demonize Pakistan. From public defamation to blatant incitement to war, from stereotypical movies to jingoistic news anchors, Modi’s India is rife with anti-Pakistan sentiment. For example, during the 2014 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Giriraj Singh said that everyone who did not vote for Modi should go to Pakistan. He also pointed out that “our ancestors made a huge mistake… if [1947] Muslims were sent there [Pakistan], we don’t have to face this situation in the first place. In 2017, while campaigning for assembly elections in the state of Gujarat, Modi shocked the subcontinent by claiming (unfoundedly) that secret meetings between the Congress leadership and Pakistani diplomats and elites were evidence of their connivance in stealing the election.
This trend linking Pakistan to Congress is a long-term one. During the 2019 campaign, the then-Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani of the BJP said that if the Congress won, “then Pakistan will celebrate Diwali”. Things got especially crazy during the 2019 elections when 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed in the Pulwama attack. Without an investigation, the BJP and the Indian armed forces were quick to blame Pakistan (which Pakistan vehemently denies). BJP chants ‘We will enter your homes’ [Pakistan] Then airstrikes were carried out in Balakot, Pakistan, further escalating the situation. This resulted in Pakistan retaliating and its air force shot down an Indian MiG-21. As tensions mounted, the BJP not only created an anti-Pakistan wave but rode it to a huge electoral victory in 2019.
In response, Satya Pal, the former governor of Indian-administered Kashmir, said that just before the 2019 Pulwama attack, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had requested aircraft because such a large convoy had never traveled by road. He said the request was made to the Interior Ministry, not to him, but was rejected by the former. Pal, who said he had spoken to Modi and national security adviser Ajit Doval, said the Pulwama incident was “our fault”. He said both Modi and Doval told him to be quiet and not let people know it was their fault. To clarify here, Pal believes that Pulwama would not have been possible without Pakistan’s (alleged) complicity, but claims that the BJP has deliberately ignored this. He further said, “…I realize that all the responsibility for this will fall on Pakistan…” to obtain electoral results. In another interview, he asserted “I’m worried [BJP]…can plan an attack on the Ram temple. They can plot to assassinate the BJP leader. If they can launch a Pulwama attack, they can do anything.
In the 2024 elections, Modi paints an image of a hegemonic India juxtaposed with a Pakistan rendered irrelevant by economic decline and political instability. Moreover, the “two-in-one” strategy of connecting the Congress and Pakistan has been repeated in recent elections. For example, while campaigning for the 2024 elections in Gujarat, Modi said, “Pakistan can’t wait to get Sheikhzada [Rahul Gandhi] Prime Minister… We know Congress is a believer in Pakistan. It should be obvious by now that this antagonism against Pakistan is the bread and butter of the BJP — and their hardcore base eats up such rhetoric. At one of the now common anti-Muslim rallies in India, young women wearing saffron “held placards asking Muslims to choose between ‘Pakistan or Kabulistan’ (Pakistan or the graveyard)”. Modi and his likes are also using Kashmir to foment nationalism in the elections. “We will make it [Kashmir] Modi’s right-hand man and BJP minister Amit Shah spoke out at 2024 election rallies.
Pakistan’s hatred is more than just affectation. According to a recent report by The Guardian, Indian RAW has carried out 20 assassinations in Pakistan since 2020. This also lends credence to Canada’s allegation that India was behind the killing of Khalistan movement leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, analysts believe this may appeal to the BJP’s hardcore base as it proves their hardline stance on Pakistan.
Similar to the political malice of the BJP, the Indian film industry, once beloved by Pakistan, has also taken a punitive stance against the country. Recent movies that have made a splash include The Kashmir Files, which focused on the escape of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) from Indian-controlled Kashmir by Pakistan-backed militants in the 1990s. Many scholars believe the film’s depiction of the genocide is inaccurate, and its depiction of Muslims is considered Islamophobic and shameful. Instead, unsurprisingly, the BJP supported the film’s version of events. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smriti Irani has been the most vocal in promoting the film, while Modi himself has attacked critics who have given the film negative reviews, calling it a suppression of the truth. conspiracy.
Indian Muslim actors are regularly harassed by the BJP and its followers. For example, it can be said that Bollywood’s biggest stars Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh (all Muslims) “have faced criticism in recent years from BJP figures, and the usual ridicule that they should ‘go Pakistan'”. So, out of fear for their careers, they either remain silent or acquiesce.
Shah Rukh Khan, who was once loved by the people of Pakistan, recently starred in an anti-Pakistan 2023 film, Pathaan. In the book, a Pakistani general whose days are running out tries to punish India for revoking Article 370 of Kashmir. Article 370 is a tool for the rise of Kashmir. If it is declared invalid, then the attribution of Kashmir to India will also be invalid…” Despite the plot holes, it has become the sixth installmentth The highest grossing Indian film of all time. In her article, Bhutto accused Shah Rukh Khan of not taking a stand against Modi. In fact, he has been openly fawning over Modi’s “efforts” for India, to the dismay of millions of Muslims and Pakistanis.
“The Fighter” to be released in 2024 is another promotional project. The film mentions Pulwama-Balakot and the ensuing melee between the two countries. BBC journalist Haroon Rashid said the film “distorts facts, presents a version of history that did not happen, and incites hatred between communities.” However, such anti-Pakistani films are a hit in India, “Fighter” grossed 337.2 billion rupees ($40 million) at the box office and is among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time in India.
Today, the Indian media is full of so-called ” pick up The media of Indian critics (a joke on the words “Modi” and “pug”). I have said before that the BJP’s “coercion and inducements” are responsible for media flattery. According to the Reporters Without Borders 2024 ranking, Indian media ranks 159th. The report further pointed out that violence against journalists, monopolized media and political affinity mean that “press freedom is in crisis in the world’s largest democracy.”
One of the reasons why Indian media has become a marionette for the BJP’s aspirations is that many major media companies are owned by a powerful few. Modi’s billionaire ally Mukesh Ambani “owns more than 70 media outlets and is followed by at least 800 million Indians.” In addition, in 2022, Asia’s richest man and another Modi confidante Gautam Adani has acquired one of India’s largest media companies, NDTV, dealing a major blow to independent journalism.
The Pulwama-Balakot incident accurately illustrates the low standards of Indian media today. The media not only ranted that India must punish Pakistan (before any investigation) but also spread lies – as the international media has shown). Even more embarrassing for the BJP’s relationship with the media is the EU DisinfoLab’s 2019 report, which revealed how India resurrected dead NGOs, think tanks and even citizens to spread content that mostly undermined Pakistan. The network is led by Srivastava Group and strengthened by ANI, one of India’s leading news organizations. ANI disseminated opinion pieces from fictitious websites and “cited them as credible reports in European media.”
Although both countries have historically interfered in each other’s affairs, supported insurgencies in each other’s territories (from Kashmir to Khalistan), and fought a series of wars, India’s hatred of Pakistan at both the governmental and social levels goes far beyond India. Even if the BJP loses power, India under Modi and its obsession with Pakistan may not fade. The reason is that millions of Hindu followers have been radicalized into hating Pakistan as an ideological prerequisite. To appeal to this base, the BJP’s warmongers exploit every opportunity because Modi knows Pakistan’s hatred can be sold.
Further reading on electronic international relations
