Protests have been underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru University after violence escalated massively at the campus on the 5th of January. Ironically enough, the protests which claim to be against violence, are being organized in support of those who initiated the violence in the first place.
In another demonstration of the questionable motivations of the protesters, slogans inspired by Pakistanis were raised at JNU.
Slogan raised in JNU against Delhi Police – “ye jo gundagardi hai, iske peeche vardi hai” . Delhi police in riot gear watching silently. (This slogan is raised often by pro democracy protestors in Pakistan against oppressive military regimes) pic.twitter.com/PV2plI3TGa
— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) January 9, 2020
The slogan, ‘Ye jo Gundagardi Hai, Iske Peeche Vardi hai’, is raised by protesters against the ISI-military establishment of Pakistan. Pashtuns can often be heard raising such slogans against the Pakistani military establishment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QySrxhI8fjw]
In 2018, similar slogans were raised by protesters along with chants of ‘ISI Murdabad’ in front of the headquarters of the Pakistani Military at Rawalpindi.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaFmIr5Pi6s]
It appears that the JNU protesters believe the current Indian regime is equivalent to the tyrannical Pakistani regime. It is a gross trivialization of the genocidal campaigns the Pakistani military establishment is pursuing against the religious minorities of Pakistan as well as certain ethnic groups such as Balochis and Pashtuns.
Watch: Pakistanis extend support to JNU students in Lahore, chant ‘halla bol’ in solidarity against PM Modi
The protesters at JNU appear to believe that India is as undemocratic as Pakistan, which is an indication of the possibility that those involved in these protests have succumbed to mass hysteria. Nothing else explains the fact that the slogans of actual victims of persecution are being borrowed by those who just want free hostels and no exams.
It is also pertinent to remember that students and teachers in Lahore, Pakistan took out a rally on Wednesday in solidarity with the JNU students. The theme of the demonstration was the controversial poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poem, ‘Lajim Hai Ki Hum Dekhenge’, which calls for the destruction of idols.
