Ever since Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair unleashed Islamists on Nupur Sharma, the BJP spokesperson has been receiving multiple death threats on social media. Now, the death threats from extremist organizations across the border have also started pouring in for Sharma.
A Pakistani Twitter handle named ‘Labbaikians TV’ which claims to share ‘The Latest Speeches and interviews of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)’ has shared the announcement via their Twitter handle. The handle announced a cash reward of Pakistani Rupees 5 million (Around 19.5 lakhs INR) to anyone who would behead Nupur for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy’.
“Ghustaak-e-Rasool Nupur Sharma beheader will be given Rs 5 million reward -Labbaikians TV,” the tweet read. The handle is run by supporters of Islamic extremist party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
Soon after, Pakistanis began wishing death upon the BJP spokesperson and started feeling sad that they can’t commit this murder because they are on the other side of the border. “Kash me India me hota to iss ka qatal kr hi data (I wish that I was in India. I would have killed her then)”, read a comment by one of the users.
“Kill this woman,” exclaimed another user Aftab Hussain.
It must be mentioned that Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers were responsible for the lynching of a Srilankan national Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot in the Punjab province of Pakistan over blasphemy charges. The party has been very vocal in demanding the death sentence for every charge of blasphemy.
The party was banned in Pakistan but back in November last year, the then Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan succumbed to the pressure of radical Islamists and gave his permission to lift the ban on the extremist group.
The Background of the Controversy
Nupur Sharma has been at the receiving end of a torrent of hate and death threats since appearing on a news debate on Times Now channel on Friday (May 27). During a debate on the disputed Gyanvapi structure, Sharma argued that people can mock Islamic beliefs in response to objectionable remarks against Hinduism.
Following the debate, an alleged fact-checker from Alt News, Mohammed Zubair, shared a clip of the debate out of context, dog-whistling to his 100s of thousands of followers to attack her. Soon, the rape and death threats started to flow targeting not just Nupur Sharma, but her family members as well.
Several others, like journalist Rana Ayyub also joined Zubair later and invoked more hatred against Sharma by accusing her of blasphemy leading to a further escalation in the threats Sharma was facing.