OPINION | Pakistan's Hate Campaign Has no Takers Even in Muslim World

Our unruly neighbour has launched a vicious propaganda on the social media against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, using fake identities. People who are running this hate machinery are using Arab, Christian and Hindu names to target PM Modi.

The hate campaign against the prime minister is being run in Gulf countries and Middle East through fake accounts being operated in Pakistan. Muslim countries in the recent past have honoured Prime Minister Modi and have endorsed his policies. The hate mongering is at its peak since the day PM Modi-led government announced its decision to scrap J&K’s special status and divided it into the two union territories.

Our neigbouring country knocked the doors of every nation, including the Gulf countries, against the India’s decision but it got a very cold response. None of the countries endorsed Pakistan’s stand and refused to intervene. Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan, used the stage of United Nations to spew venom against India and its leadership and launched personal attacks on PM Modi and the RSS to drive home his point.

He even threatened about nuclear war breaking out between the two countries, but he failed to get any support. After facing dejection at every forum Pakistan surrendered at all diplomatic fronts and acknowledged that world is not even ready to listen to its argument on Kashmir.

After getting no response from anywhere, Pakistan launched a full-fledged war against India and the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on social media. Hundreds of fake accounts were activated in the neighbouring country with fake names to create hatred against the Indian leadership and to create a wedge between Hindus and Muslims in India by projecting ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as anti-Muslim.

Every attempt was made to project Citizenship Amendment Act as a move to eliminate Muslims from India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to come on record many times to clear the air and tell his countrymen that the CAA won’t snatch anyone’s citizenship and it has got nothing to do with the Indian Muslims.

Riots in New Delhi were the eventual fall out of the provocation and the misinformation which was spread by the people with vested interests. Pakistan’s spy agency ISI running social media accounts to create hate is nothing new.

Whenever, investigations have been conducted it has come to fore that many social media accounts having Hindu names spread venom against Muslims and make every possible attempt to instigate Muslims against Hindus.We as Indians need to understand that entire hate machinery is being run from the neighbouring country and we cannot afford to fall prey to this false propaganda which is aimed at creating rift and dividing our country on the basis of religion.

The Prime Minister on many occasions has reiterated that India is all about inclusiveness and its unity lies in its diversity. During his recent Maan-Ki-Baat programme on All India Radio, he exuded hope that the COVID-19 pandemic would end by Eid-ul-Fitr. He put it on record that Muslims are facing immense hardships during the holy month of Ramadan due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. Our adversary is unable to digest that PM Modi is reaching out to all the communities and he is making it explicitly clear that in India there is no discrimination between the members of the majority and minority community. All are equal.

The anti-India and anti-Modi campaign, which has been started by Pakistan is an attempt to create a notion that Muslims are facing immense hardships in India and the present dispensation led by BJP is out to throw Muslims out of the country.

This propaganda is based on blatant lies and has no takers.The opposition parties in India wittingly or unwittingly are playing into the hands of Pakistan by issuing provocative statements which are later used by the social media activists in the neighboring country to build their argument against India. The Opposition has to act responsibly and its leaders should understand that the national interests are supreme and cannot be compromised with.

Entire world at present is lauding the leadership qualities of Prime Minister Modi, who gauged the situation before the COVID-19 could spread its tentacles in India. His decision to go for a lockdown helped in saving many lives across the country. He didn’t wait like other COVID-19 hit countries. He took a quick decision and prevented India from witnessing a human catastrophe. Adversaries of the Indian State are finding it hard to deal with the leader like PM Modi’s caliber. Its after a longtime India has got a strong leader, who is capable of changing the destinies of the people.

(Sheikh Khalid is a member of BJP, former journalist and fellow of International Peace and Strategic Studies. Views expressed are personal.)