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Pakistan to observe October 27 as ‘Kashmir black day’, orders its embassies to spread anti-India propaganda and hold protests

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan to observe October 27 as ‘Kashmir black day’, orders its embassies to spread anti-India propaganda and hold protests

Pakistan embassies across the world have planned t observe October 27 as yet another ‘Kashmir Black Day’. It is notable that every year, October 22 is observed as Black Day in Jammu and Kashmir to mark the invasion by Pakistan just after two months of India’s Independence in 1947.

Needless to say, Pakistan is trying to push its anti-India agenda using Kashmir as an issue, yet again, on the international platform. Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan shared a thread on Twitter in which he said, “Pakistan and millions of Kashmiris observe the Kashmir Black Day every 27 October to condemn the beginning of the illegal occupation of parts of the State of Jammu and Kashmir by India.”

In a proposed toolkit designed by Pakistan, the authorities want its social media “warriors” to concentrate on ‘Indian atrocities’, ‘Human rights violations’ and more.

OpIndia accessed multiple documents via sources regarding the orders given by higher officials in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs directing its missions across European nations to hold programs on October 27.

For Brussels, the orders were signed by one Rahee Tariq, where the embassy was asked to hold an extensive outreach program to the authorities in Belgium, Luxembourg and EU institutions, including the European Parliament and present a “fact sheet on Kashmir.” One can only imagine what kind of propaganda filled these so-called fact sheets can be. It also asked the embassies to get articles published in Belgian media about the Kashmir issue. Demonstrations, protests and seminars, along with the use of social media to spread propaganda, were part of the agenda.

Orders asking to celebrate October 27 as Kashmir Black Day in Brussels. Via Sources.

Similarly, for Copenhagen, the embassy was asked to hold protests outside the Danish Parliament. From photo exhibitions against India to displaying images of alleged human rights violations on billboards across Copenhagen were planned.

Orders asking to celebrate October 27 as Kashmir Black Day in Copenhagen. Via Sources.

For Prague, in the orders signed by Kamran Ahmed Malik, Pakistan asked its embassy to arrange a meeting with the President of the Czech-Pakistan Friendship group in the Parliament to discuss alleged human rights violations by Indian authorities in Kashmir. It also asked for coverage of special messages of the Prime Minister, President and Foreign Minister in local media outlets.

Orders asking to celebrate October 27 as Kashmir Black Day in Prague. Via Sources.

For Nairobi, in the orders signed by Saqlain Syedah, Pakistan asked the embassy to host a small reception for speakers of Kashmir and Pakistan origin to discuss Kashmir. It also asked to appraise Pakistan origin Parliamentarians about the issues in Kashmir from Pakistan’s perspective. 

Orders asking to celebrate October 27 as Kashmir Black Day in Nairobi. Via Sources.

A document was shared in this regard by Major Gaurav Arya, the editor-in-chief of the Chanakya Forum, on Twitter in which it was mentioned that Prime Minister himself had approved USD 1000 for the program in Nairobi.

For Belarus, in the orders signed by Muhammed Abdullah Amin, Pakistan asked the embassy to arrange a presentation on Kashmir along with a display of video documentary, photograph exhibition and webinar on the propaganda narrated by Pakistan. It also asked for coverage in local media.

Orders asking to celebrate October 27 as Kashmir Black Day in Minsk. Via Sources.

For Sarajevo, Pakistan asked the embassy to approach political authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also asked to communicate with the defence ministry in those countries and speak to them about Pakistan’s view on Kashmir. From press briefing to photo exhibition, multiple programs were asked to be organized.

Orders asking to celebrate October 27 as Kashmir Black Day in Sarajevo. Via Sources.

Why does India observe October 22 as Black Day in J&K?

On October 22, 1947, Pakistan had attacked Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan army led by its Major General Akbar Khan looted and destroyed several areas of Jammu and Kashmir with an aim to occupy the land. Amidst the chaos, Maharaja Hari Singh signed Kashmir’s accession to India on October 26, 1947, giving India a chance to retaliate. Named as Operation Gulmarg, it was the first attack on Kashmir by Pakistan. Since then, Pakistan backed terrorist activities in the valley have continued to be a problem for India.

Pakistan has chosen October 27 as on this day in 1947, Governor-General Lord Mountbatten accepted the agreement of accession of Kashmir to India signed by Maharaja Hari Singh. Pakistan wants to use the day to propagate its agenda to paint a negative picture of India, claiming the Indian government has occupied Kashmir. Since the abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan has increased its efforts to show as if India is the cause of problems in the Kashmir region and not Pakistan that continuously sends terrorists in the valley.

Multi-party democratic system was about to collapse when Narendra Modi became PM: Amit Shah on Modi completing 20 years as head of govt

OpIndia Staff
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Multi-party democratic system was about to collapse when Narendra Modi became PM: Amit Shah on Modi completing 20 years as head of govt

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Delhi today that India would have been in tatters today, had Narendra Modi didn’t become the prime minister in 2014. Shah was talking at the national conference on Delivering Democracy: Reviewing two decades of Narendra Modi as Head of Government, organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini to mark the completion of 20 years as head of government by Narendra Modi.

Amit Shah said that when the Constitution of India was written, it was decided that India will be a multi-party democracy. But by the year 2014, people had started to worry that the multi-party democratic system in the country has failed, and the dreams of ram-raj in the country were shattered. “After 1960s and by 2014 people doubted if multi-party democratic system can be successful. People wondered if the system had failed as it didn’t yield fruitful results. With great patience they took a decision and gave power to PM Modi with absolute majority,” Shah said.

He said that Modi became at a time when in the previous govt, every cabinet minister considered themselves to be PMs even though Manmohan Singh was the PM. There was no policy for the country, no one talked about the security of the nation, and even day a new scam had surfaced, he said.

Saying that there was policy paralysis during the UPA govt, he said that it seems that the democratic system of the country will collapse at any time. “Perhaps respect for India was at its lowest, corruption of Rs 12 lakh crores. There were questions on internal security. It seemed our democratic system would collapse any time. At that time BJP decided to field then Gujarat CM as its PM candidate,” Amit Shah said talking about choosing Narendra Modi as the PM candidate ahead of 2014 elections.

Talking about Modi becoming the CM of Gujarat for the first time, Shah said that when BJP had decided in 2001 that Narendra Modi will be the CM Gujarat, it was a rare occasion, because he had no real experience of running administration till then.

The state was reeling under various problems, including the consequences of Kutch earthquake. But as the CM, Narendra Modi brought a lot of changes, and worked a lot on development and transparency.

Amit Shah cited the example of CM Modi promising electricity for 24 hours a day, which everyone thought was impossible. But by separating feeder lines for agriculture from the domestic electricity connections and other reforms, Gujarat had achieved 24-hour power availability, which had led to growth of businesses in the state.

Similarly, the state had 67% school enrolment and the dropout rate was 37%. Modi started the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme to promote gender ratio and education in the state, which eventually led to 100% enrolment rate, and the steps were taken to reduce dropout rate to almost zero.

The union home minister added that Gujarat was the first state in India since independence to ensure that the budget allocation for tribals is in accordance with their population size. Such proportionate budget allocation for tribals was done under the VanBandhu Kalyan Yojana.

Talking about the reforms brought by Narendra Modi, Amit Shah said that earlier the Congress PM Rajiv Gandhi had himself said that out of every Rupee spent on public welfare, only 15 paise reached the beneficiaries, and the rest 85 paise was lost in corruption, but PM Modi ended such mass-scale corruption in govt schemes using Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Similarly, the process of procurement by the government has been made corruption-free using the GeM portal. PM Modi also changed the scale and size of projects, Shah said. For example, even earlier it was decided that 10,000 people will be given pucca houses, PM Modi decided that everyone will be given pucca houses by 2022. He said that 2 crore people have been provided houses and by 15 August 2022, every poor in the country will get them.

He also gave the examples of projects to electrify every village, provide toilets to every house etc as examples of mega scales of projects undertaken by Modi govt.

Sonia Gandhi calls up Lalu Yadav after bitter remarks and spat between Congress and RJD leaders in Bihar

OpIndia Staff
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Sonia Gandhi calls up Lalu Yadav after bitter remarks and spat between Congress and RJD leaders in Bihar

Sonia Gandhi, the interim president of the Congress has reportedly spoken to former Bihar chief minister and RJD national president Lalu Prasad Yadav to break the ice following a public spat between both the parties over the continuation of the alliance in Bihar.

Sonia Gandhi called Lalu Prasad on Tuesday right after she convened a meeting of general secretaries, state in-charges and other senior functionaries of the party. Sonia Gandhi reached out to Lalu Prasad three days after Yadav slammed Congress’ Bihar in-charge, Bhakta Charan Das, with a crude Bihari adjective ‘bhakchonar’ that roughly translates as a fool or a man of low IQ.

Later on Lalu Yadav told the media that he told Sonia Gandhi to form a strong alternative to BJP at the national level politics. “I spoke to Sonia Gandhi. She asked me about my well-being and whereabouts. I said that I am fine, your party is an all India party so get all like-minded people and parties together to form a strong alternative (to the ruling party) and call a meeting of all people,” he was quoted by ANI saying this.

Lalu had remarked after Bhakta Charan Das announced the exit of the Congress from RJD led grand alliance in Bihar and further blamed the RJD for playing in the hands of the BJP. The rebuff of Lalu further escalated the war of words between Congress and the RJD in Bihar where Congress workers burnt the effigy of Lalu Prasad and held demonstrations. The Congress accused Lalu Prasad of insulting a Dalit leader.

Congress leaders had slammed Lalu for insulting remarks against Bhakta Das

Senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar had slammed the RJD chief for hurting the Dalit community. She said that Lalu’s remark was tantamount to offences under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Congress MLC Prem Chand Mishra threatened that Congress can also pay in the same coin to Lalu Prasad if it forgets dignity and modesty. Bihar Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore had asked whether Lalu Prasad lost his senses due to illness. On calling him a fool, Bhakta Charan Das asked Lalu Prasad to introspect how he fooled poor people of Bihar and even his own Yadav community.

RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari said that Lalu Prasad just pointed out Bhakta Charan Das was flippant about the politics of Bihar. “Don’t teach Lalu Prasad about the politics of Bihar. He is the axis of the secular politics of Bihar. Congress has to decide whether to stay in alliance or not.  Let the result of by-polls come their (Congress) euphoria will be over,” RJD spokesperson told OpIndia.

Two assembly seats as the immediate reason for the rift

The Congress was annoyed as the RJD fielded candidates for Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur assembly seats of Bihar assembly where the by-poll is scheduled on October 30. Congress claimed Kusheshwar Asthan as its traditional seat which the Congress had contested in the 2020 assembly election under the seat-sharing pact. However, Congress had lost this seat. In this context, Bhakta Charan Das announced the exit of the Congress from the grand alliance and further charged the RJD for hobnobbing with the BJP.

In Bihar, Congress has been depending upon the RJD for its survival. Lalu Prasad smashed the pre-poll posturing of the Congress. He questioned the usefulness of Congress as an alliance partner and said: “What is Congress’ alliance? Would we have left everything to Congress for a loss? For losing deposits?”

Due to his judicial custody following his conviction in a series of fodder scam cases, Lalu Prasad was forced to stay away from active politics. Even behind the bars, he was monitoring the affairs of the party, especially during the 2020 Bihar assembly election. After getting bail he stayed in Delhi due to poor health.

“Just in case the NDA and the Congress are trying to write-off Laluji he has come back he is campaigning and he has addressed a rally today,” former RJD MLA and Lalu loyalist told the OpIndia.

When RJD considered Congress as liability

What Lalu questioned the usefulness of alliance with the Congress, RJD leaders in their private discussions started raising questions right after the result of the Bihar assembly election. During the seat-sharing exercise, Congress haggled and got 70 seats but it could win only 19 seats. In fact, the RJD narrowly missed power in Bihar and many RJD leaders had blamed Congress for dragging the party down.

Congress in Bihar

Sonia Gandhi calling Lalu Prasad is largely seen as a move to placate him. But in Bihar, a section of the Congress party is hopeful that JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar who has joined the party will write the script of the revival of the party in Bihar. But many veterans of the Congress who have seen the rise and fall of the party in Bihar have reservations that Kanhaiya Kumar with no control over his rhetoric may consolidate anti-Congress votes. The RJD had rather disliked the entry of Kanhaiya Kumar.

The jury is out and only the by-poll results will decide whether RJD and Congress are playing a fixed match or the alliance has indeed broken down.

The bigots of Pakistan cricket: Here’s how Pakistani cricketers have normalised communal bigotry against non-Muslims

Jinit Jain
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The bigots of Pakistan cricket: Here’s how Pakistani cricketers have normalised communal bigotry against non-Muslims

Cricket is a sport, but for people in the subcontinent, and of India in particular, it is a religion. However, for India’s western neighbour, Pakistan, it assumes greater significance. In a country that is deeply pious, cricket is regarded not just a recreational activity but as another tool to further radical Islamism.

For Pakistani cricketers, who command a massive following in a country where cricket is possibly the most liked sport, cricket provides a platform to brazenly and unabashedly express their allegiance to radical Islamism. There have been several occasions in the past when Pakistani cricketers have felt no qualms in promoting casual bigotry against non-Muslims, especially the Indian cricket team.

Here are some of the incidents when Pakistani cricketers have voiced their support to radical Islamism and poured scorn on other faiths:-

Waqar Younis’ brazenly communal utterances against Hindus

Recently, Pakistani fast bowler Waqar Younis said it was very special for him when Mohammad Rizwan recited the Namaz in front of Hindus during the India versus Pakistan match at the T20 World Cup.

Speaking on a talk show, Younis said, “The manner in which Babar and Rizwan batted, sensible yet aggressive, the strike-rotation, the look on their faces, it was amazing. The best thing, what Rizwan did, Mashallah, he offered the Namaz on the ground surrounded by Hindus, that was really something very very special for me.”

This comment by Waqar Younis drew sharp reaction from people across the world, including Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, who by his own admission tries “hard to play such things down”. After the backlash, Younis offered an apology, but for a person who had once said “he always saw the game of cricket with the Indian team as jihad”, the apology seemed rather insincere and offered only as a lip-service to pacify the critics.

As such, there have been other instances in the past when Waqar Younis has not shied away from his bigoted rants against Hindus. Years ago, Younis had remarked that Indians could not bowl fast because they did not consume beef. The snide remark was meant for Hindus who refrain from consuming beef as cow is considered as a sacred animal according to Hinduism.

Shoaib Akhtar’s endorsement of the two nation theory

Another Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently endorsed the two nation theory that led to the partition of India. While speaking on a cricket show organised by Aaj Tak, Shoaib Akhtar said he believed in the two nation theory.

The two nation theory was first promulgated by Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University. The theory asserts that Muslims and Hindus form two separate nations who cannot coexist peacefully in one country.

Syed Ahmad Khan said in 1876, “I am convinced now that Hindus and Muslims could never become one nation as their religion and way of life was quite distinct from each other.” Seven years later, he voiced similar sentiments. He said, “Friends, in India, there live two prominent nations which are distinguished by the names of Hindus and Mussalmans…To be a Hindu or a Muslim is a matter of internal faith which has nothing to do with mutual relationships and external conditions…Hence, leave God’s share to God and concern yourself with the share that is yours…India is the home of both of us…By living so long in India, the blood of both have [sic] changed.”

It is worth noting that the two nation theory became the cornerstone of Muslim League’s demand for a separate country for Indian Muslims that triggered a violent spate of Hindu-Muslim clashes across the country and ultimately resulted in the partition of India into two nations—Pakistan and India.

Islamic forces will fulfil Ghazwa-e-Hind prophecy, capture Kashmir and invade India: Shoaib Akhtar

Notably, this was not the first time that Shoaib Akhtar had lend his support to an extremist ideology. In a news chat show, Shoaib Akhtar had advocated the Islamic supremacist fantasy of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, stating that Islamic forces will capture Kashmir and invade India.

“It is written in our scriptures that Ghazwa e Hind will take place. The river in Attock will be coloured red twice with blood. Forces from Afghanistan will reach till Attock. Then after that forces will rise from Shamal Mashriq, different contingents will arrive from Uzbekistan etc…this refers to Khorasan, a historical region which extended till Lahore. Later those forces will conquer Kashmir, and then, inshallah, they will march onwards (to the rest of India),” Shoaib Akhtar said.

It is pertinent to note that the Islamist doctrine endorsed by Shoaib Akhtar is often cited by terrorists to justify their attacks in India. The Islamist terror attacks on India take place under the banner of Ghazwa-e-Hind. Radicals in Pakistan are trained and brainwashed with the concept of Ghazwa-e-Hind, to prepare them for suicide missions in India and legitimise their jihad against India. 

The term Ghazwa-e-Hind or a holy raid of India has been used by the Pakistani terrorists against India for decades. The concept of Ghazwa-e-hind roots from several works of Islamic literature named Hadiths. The doctrine prophesizes a pitched battle between Hindus and Muslims before (qayamat), resulting in a decisive victory of Muslims over Hindu India. 

As per the prediction, the battle to the end will start in modern day Syria, with forces marching towards India. Islamic armies carrying black flags will supposedly come from Khorasan and conquer India to turn it into an Islamic state.

Saeed Anwar had said all non Muslims will be incinerated in hellfire

Former Pakistani batsman Saeed Anwar was another cricketer who supported Islamic supremacism and treated non-Muslims with contempt. In a meeting, Anwar said all non Muslims were going to be incinerated in hell fire and it was the duty of Muslims to save them by converting them into Islam.

“There are 6 billion non-Muslims. They are all going to burn in hellfire. It’s Muslims’ duty to save them by converting them into Islam,” he said.

‘No non-Muslim can ever enter Jannat but even the worst Muslim criminal can’: Muhammad Yusuf

This view was concurred by Mohammad Yusuf, who renounced Christianity and converted to Islam after his selection to Pakistan cricket team. In a speech years after embracing Islam, Yusuf said no non-Muslim can ever enter Jannat but Allah will send even the worst Muslim criminal to Jannat.

For former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, cricket match against India was always a ‘jihad’

Former Pakistan cricket captain and current Prime Minister Imran Khan had once said he viewed cricketing contest against India not a mundane match but as a jihad. The revelation was made by former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, G Parthasarathy, who was once told by a Pakistani journalist that when he asked Imran Khan how he bowls such fire against India, he responded ‘whenever I play against India, I don’t treat it as a game, I think of Kashmir and treat it as a jihad’.

‘If Muslims show their Muslim-ism, not one human on earth will remain non-Muslim’: Inzamam-ul-Haq

Another Pakistani cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had captained Pakistani cricket team and also served as chief selector, had also spewed venom against non-Muslims. In a interview, Inzamam-ul-Haq had warned that if Muslims started showing their Muslimism, not one human on earth will remain non-Muslim.

Sharing details about how Pakistani dressing room was a breeding ground for disseminating Islam, Inzamam-ul-Haq had once said that Indian Muslim cricketers were invited to hear mullah in Pakistani dressing room, adding that Harbhajan Singh had almost converted to Islam.

In the same video, Inzamam later asserts that their aim is to convert entire world into Islam.

Saqlain Mushtaq says conversion to Islam would double the batting average of batsmen

In an attempt to draw non-Muslim cricketers under the fold of Islam, former Pakistani bowler Saqlain Mushtaq had once contended that conversion to Islam doubles the batting average of a batsman.

Mushtaq cited Mohammad Yusuf’s batting average after converting to Islam to back his claim that batting average doubles after batsmen embrace Islam. He said Yusuf was averaging at 40 when he was a Christian but after becoming a Muslim, his average touched 70-80 mark.

The scourge of radical Islamism that continues to afflict the Pakistani society

Rampant Islamism is a hallmark of Pakistani society since its inception. From 1947, when Pakistan was carved out of then united India, militant version of Islam took the centre stage, deeply influencing the psyche of the general public in Pakistan. 

Be it the politicians, celebrities, sportspersons or the common folks, the bigotry accompanying Islamic supremacism has permeated deep within the Pakistani society. It is this fixation with radical Islamism that Pakistanis have come to harbour deep hatred for other faiths, particularly Hinduism because of their disdain for idol worshipping and the acrimonious past it shares with the Hindu-majority India. 

In essence, it is the same ideology—a conviction of Islam’s hegemony and a religious duty to spread Islam among non-believers—that drove numerous Islamic marauders to the shores of India in the past. And Pakistanis, for that matter, are not really ashamed of the Muslim conquests in India that were accompanied by widespread violence, rapes, plundering and slaughter against those who indulged in idol worshipping and refused to embrace Islam. 

Instead, most Pakistanis are proud of the bloodshed and depredations inflicted by Muslim rulers on their non-Muslim subjects. They even enthusiastically regard themselves as descendants of Arab rulers and soldiers whom they claim were on a religious duty to conquer India and turn it into a Muslim country.

It is this adherence to medieval version of Islam that the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, gave a short shrift to the sanctity of human life and instead caterwauled about Islam being in danger after the brutal murder of French teacher Samuel Paty triggered a national debate over creeping Islamism in France. 

It is this perverse obsession to the ideology that Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid hails Pakistan’s win against India in the T20 world cup as the “victory of Islam”. It is the same radical belief that made Pakistan commentator to declare “Kufr toot hi gaya” while speaking to Babar Azam in the post match presentation.

This feeling pervades much of Pakistan. Across the country, there is a strong belief of superiority of Islam over other religions. This is why non-Muslims in Pakistan are treated as second-class citizens, with many individual rights and privileges that are enjoyed by Muslims not extended to the minorities. They live under a constant fear of persecution and regarded as fair-game by the Muslim majority.

The hatred against non-Muslims is only compounded by the unapologetic remarks of Islamic supremacism ​made by notable personalities, including Pakistani cricketers. Across the country, cricket is the most loved sport and cricketers are viewed as icons by most of the Pakistani cricket fans. If renowned Pakistani cricketers find no qualms in voicing their bigoted views and expressing their overt support to radical Islamism, it only goes to show the extent and prevalence of extremism among common Pakistanis who idolise these cricketers. 

Rakesh Tikait’s new brain wave: Says Modi made Indian team lose match with Pakistan. Here is how he explains the theory

OpIndia Staff
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Rakesh Tikait’s new brain wave: Says Modi made Indian team lose match with Pakistan. Here is how he explains the theory

There’s a thin line between satire and reality and in Indian politics the line is many times blurred and even crossed over. So-called farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday claimed that it was actually Prime Minister Narendra Modi who got Indian cricket team to lose the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan so that it can help him win elections.

He claimed that the BJP government at Centre can make the cricket team lose if it can bring them votes. He claimed that he had not really seen the match himself but he got to know from villagers that Modi government made India lose to Pakistan. He alleged that villagers claimed that when India will lose to Pakistan, as orchestrated by PM Modi, people will burst crackers and that will get people to vote for BJP in turn.

So as per ‘villagers’ whom Tikait spoke to, there are indeed people in India who would burst crackers when India loses to Pakistan? And how is that not more problematic than ‘PM Modi got Indian team to lose match’ conspiracy theory? This conspiracy is even wilder than the time Mamata Banerjee claimed coronavirus was a ‘panic’ created by PM Modi to ‘divert attention’ from the 2020 Delhi riots which took place during the anti-CAA protests.

When it was pointed out that cricket lovers may get offended at what he spoke about Indian cricket team deliberately losing match on Modi’s instructions, Tikait brazened it out and said why would anyone be offended by truth. “There are two types of Hindus, those who believe in Sangh ideology, who are most dangerous and others who are the peaceful kinds and are harmless,” he claimed.

Tikait further claimed that he himself is a sportsperson (?) and that his sentiments are hurt by this loss of Indian cricket team. While he did not elaborate which sport he played, he claimed that the BJP government carried out a hate campaign against one Muslim player on social media. The Muslim player he is speaking about is Mohammad Shami and there have been few things which are very suspicious about the ‘attack’. Most people were angry at the captain Virat Kohli and were upset at loss of early wickets. While the angry messages were mostly directed towards them, there were hardly any specifically on Shami.

Suddenly, some ‘journalist’ somewhere tweeted obscure screenshots from Instagram account to claims that Shami was being abused on religion lines. Amusingly, those were the only few screenshots which were making rounds. Everyone from the ‘liberal’ jamaat came out to condemn the attack on Shami, and rightly so. However, their stoic silence whenever he was abused by Islamists for being a ‘bad Muslim’ has been quiet deafening to say the least.

Back in January 2020, Shami was trolled by Islamists on Instagram after he posted a picture of his daughter standing at a Hindu puja ceremony with a caption, “Looking so sweet beta love you so much god bless you beta see you soon”. However, no such condemnation against these vicious attacks were made. This clearly shows that there is more to it than what meets the eye. Now that even Tikait has chosen to speak about it it just shows how this was the new ‘toolkit’ in the market.

Tikait further equated beggars and businessmen and claimed that beggars and businessman are not loyal to anyone, especially not the country. He claimed that a beggar begs on one crossroad and then moves on to another one where he gets alms, similarly, businessmen also do the same. They go wherever they see business opportunity. He again reiterated that whatever skirmishes took place after some people celebrated Pakistan’s win over India was all orchestrated by the government.

How Pakistani handles peddled the ‘Shami abused for being a Muslim’ propaganda and Indian ‘Left-Liberals’ amplified it

OpIndia Staff
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How Pakistani handles peddled the ‘Shami abused for being a Muslim’ propaganda and Indian ‘Left-Liberals’ amplified it

The India-Pakistan cricket match in the T20 World Cup was mired with controversies even before it began. After a dismal performance by the Indian team led to a 10 wicket loss, social media was awash with claims that Indian bowler Mohammad Shami is being blamed for the loss, ‘because he is a Muslim’.

Multiple reports, op-eds and social media posts poured in support of cricketer Mohammed Shami and shamed those who attacked him.

There was so much hype for two days that several players, including Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Lakshman, Virendra Sehwag and others, came forward in support of Shami. Unknown to the origin of the attack, the posts by these celebrated players gave a push to the propaganda to push the narrative that there is intolerance in India.

Tweets by celebrated players in support of Shami. Source: Twitter

Just at the time when anti-India elements were being called out on social media for celebrating Pakistan’s win, there were multiple tweets going around that Md Shami is being abused by some Indians. However, it is still a mystery for many as not many anti-Shami tweets or social media posts were visible. Meaning, there were only a few handles, mostly anon trolls, that were indulged in the hateful comments against Shami.

Many social media users even pointed out that they have not seen a single post abusing Shami but have seen hundreds of posts condemning the abuse.

Image via Twitter

Reports and OpIndia’s own investigation revealed shocking details of how the attack was designed and executed from the neighbouring country Pakistan. Republic News had pointed that a Twitter user Alitaza45896998 posted 28 abusive comments against Shami on Twitter.

Pakistani account that targeted Shami. Source: Republic TV

The now-deleted account was following 15 Pakistani accounts.

Alitaza account no longer exists. Source: Twitter

Several accounts were created on Instagram and Twitter for the sole purpose of attacking Shami. Once the propaganda was pushed to the point support messages started to pour in, these accounts disappeared from social media platforms. Journalists, activists, intellectuals etc., saw an opportunity in it and pushed their own agendas claiming that Indian ‘Hindu nationalists’ are abusing Shami, a Muslim player, and blaming him for India’s loss.

Bureau Chief, NDTV, Saurabh Gupta, said, “Communal behaviour is when one player is subjected to the worst form of abuses because the team lost. Mohammed Shami is a performing cricketer and is as responsible as any other member of the team for the loss. But the worst abuses are directed at him because of his religion.”

Tweet by Saurabh Gupta. Source: Twitter

CEDA Ashoka editor Ankur Bharadwaj said, “Perhaps American Football players will take the knee in solidarity with Shami.”

Tweet by Ankur Bhardwaj. Source: Twitter

Writer Harneet Singh tagged cricketer Virat Kohli and said, “Come on, Virat Kohli. Stand by your teammate Mohd Shami. Please make a statement of support for him & put an end to this bigotry for good. You are our Captain. Time to be a Leader now.”

Tweet by Harneet Singh. Source: Twitter

Journalist Purva Chitnis said, “The ugly communal head of hyper-nationalist cricket fans came out in the vilest manner as expected. Virat Kohli and the team should publicly speak up and stand firm behind #Shami. Will they or won’t they is the question…”

Tweet by Purva Chitnis. Source: Twitter

Alleged journalist Rana Ayyub said, “The Islamophobic hate against #shami with aspersions on his patriotism and his commitment to the country. If this and the state enabled hatred against Indian minorities is not worth taking a knee, I don’t know what is.”

Tweet by Rana Ayyub. Source: Twitter

Ayyub saw it as a chance to throw an op-ed in which she wrote, “Messages to and about Shami on social media were Indian bigotry at its worst: He was hounded, humiliated, and asked if he had sold his soul to Pakistan. Some asked if he deliberately gave runs to the Pakistani team; others accused him of being a traitor and an anti-national. The invective flooded his social media.”

The Print’s Nikhil Rampal said, “Neeraj Chopra had made a 2-minute video keeping the side of Pakistan’s player, also gave the message of brotherhood in sports. Shami is still ours. What is being proved with that kneeling hypocrisy?”

Tweet by Nikhil Rampal. Source: Twitter

Mojo’s Barkha Dutt wrote, “Is the Indian cricket team going to take a gratuitous knee for Black Lives Matter, entirely disconnected from the Indian reality, but stay silent on the bigoted online attacks against Mohd Shami? We expect better.”

Tweet by Barkha Dutt. Source: Twitter

She also quickly wrote an op-ed for WaPo in which she said, “Toxic, brazenly Islamophobic comments were left on his (Shami’s) Instagram page, suggesting that he was a traitor, one who could take the next flight out to Pakistan. Shami was singled out in a different way than other players, and the language used for him was directly related to his being Muslim. In fact, he is the only Muslim on the team’s playing lineup for this tournament — a fact that would have been irrelevant had the hate directed at him online not underscored his religion.”

Comments abusing Shami were part of a coordinated plan?

A Twitter User Counter-Propaganda Division did detailed research on how Pakistan’s propaganda against India was pushed by coordinated social media posts abusing Shami. It said the whole “Shami is getting abused” propaganda started around the time when a Twitter user ‘vaikivannavan’ published screenshots of people allegedly abusing Shami. The account no longer exists.

The group further pointed out who and how the thread on ‘Shami getting shamed’ was promoted on social media including a thread by Aj Jazeera’s host Sana Saeed.

Aljazeera’s Sana Saeed did a thread quoting the tweet. She said, “Mohammad Shami is an Indian cricketer; a bowler. These are comments on his IG right now, with people claiming he took money from Pakistan that he was playing for Pakistan and helped India lose because he is a Muslim.”

Tweet thread by Aj Jazeera host. Source: Twitter.

It’s interesting how one single tweet was promoted extensively by Pakistani Twitter users.

Media also played a role in spreading the propaganda. Media houses including Scroll, Dawn, Telegraph and several other published reports on how Shami was shamed.

The reality is, Shami is one of the most loved Indian cricketers and his fans will keep loving him for his performance. Moreover, the Indian team lost to Pakistan by a massive 10-wickets. Most Indians, who are cricket fans by default, know well that it was a multi-level failure by the team and blaming one bowler for it is non-sensical.

Moreover, on multiple occasions, cricketer Mohammad Shami has been at the receiving end of hateful, hurtful comments for sharing images of his family. Islamists on social media had shamed Shami for ‘not making his wife wear hijab’ and allowing his daughter to wear ‘Hindu’ dresses’. The concern and outrage that the ‘liberals’ are showing for Shami now were strangely absent on those occasions. No international op-eds were written about it either.

Chhattisgarh: As Baghel-Deo fight continues, police arrest two journalists for publishing content against Congress MLAs

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: As Baghel-Deo fight continues, police arrest two journalists for publishing content against Congress MLAs

Journalists of the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh are now facing collateral damage of the power struggle between the camps led by chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and the health minister TS Singh Deo after the Chhattisgarh Police arrested two journalists for allegedly spreading misinformation to destabilize the Baghel government.

The arrested journalists were identified as Madhukar Dubey and his technical assistant Avinash Palliwar who were booked under section sections 384 (punishment for extortion), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 501 (1) (B) (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory) of the IPC.

An FIR was lodged at the Civil Lines Police station of Raipur district. The complaint was filed by two Congress MLAs Brihaspat Singh of Ramanujganj assembly seat and Kuldeep Juneja of Raipur (North).

Madhukar Dubey and Avinash Palliwar run a web portal zeroparty.in and they had reportedly published certain contents against ruling party MLAs talking against the chief minister of Chhattisgarh. The content was apparently part of a sting operation published on October 24.

Police seized their laptops, mobile phones and other digital devices and also removed all such contents uploaded on the portal. The police apparently have also disabled the portal.   

“The matter is related to the circulation of some contents by them which were called a sting operation. According to complainants who are MLAs the contents were misleading and fabricated and these were circulated with an intention to malign their image as well as the state government. The probe is going on in this matter,” the officer-in-charge of Civil Lines Police station Satya Prakash Tiwari stated.

He did not disclose anything specific about the content. But it seems that both MLAs had featured in the said sting, apparently filmed in a hotel as some media reports have claimed.

Brihaspat Singh is considered close to chief minister Baghel. The MLA often courted controversy for making controversial and derogatory remarks. He had called tribals as illiterate. He had created a controversy after he accused TS Deo and his relatives of assaulting him and planning to kill him. In the power struggle between the chief minister and health minister, Brihaspat Singh has vociferously supported Baghel.     

Barely three days back, both camps made a public demonstration of their muscle power when a senior party leader Pawan Agrawal close to the health minister Deo was manhandled on the state during a programme at Jashpur for speaking in support of health minister.

Rajasthan: Teacher who lost her job for supporting Pakistan in T20 World Cup says that her other family members were also doing same

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Teacher who lost her job for supporting Pakistan in T20 World Cup says that her other family members were also doing same

Nafisa Atari, the Neerja Modi School, Udaipur teacher who was terminated from her job has said that some other family members of hers were also supporting Pakistan team in the T20 World Cup against India.

She said that during the match, her family members had divided themselves into two groups each group supporting one team. She, along with half of her family members were rooting for Pakistan’s win against India in the T20 World Cup match. She claimed that they don’t really support Pakistan.

An FIR under section 153B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) has been lodged against her at the Amba Mata Police Station in Udaipur.

On October 25, a WhatsApp post of a teacher identified as Nafisa Atari, a teacher of Neerja Modi School, Udaipur, Rajasthan, started to get viral on social media platforms. In the post, Atari had shared an image of Pakistani players with the text, “Jeet gaye, we won”. Nafisa was heavily criticized for the post. She was subsequently terminated from her job.

Srinagar: Hindu student targeted by Islamists, threatening posts identify her as ‘police informer’ after medical college video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Srinagar: Hindu student targeted by Islamists, threatening posts identify her as ‘police informer’ after medical college video goes viral

After a viral video showed some girl students raising pro-Pakistan slogans, a Hindu student identified as Ananya Jamwal, studying at Sher E Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Srinagar (SKIMS), was targeted by Islamists. They alleged that Jamwal was behind leaking the video of SKIMS students celebrating Pakistan’s win in the T20 World Cup match against India.

However, Jamwal was not the one who shared the video. She only pointed out what was happening in the college and called out those who were supporting Pakistan. Reportedly, UAPA has been invoked against those who had raised pro-Pakistan slogans.

In a tweet, while urging everyone not to share fake information about her, Jamwal said, “When the traitors who were celebrating Pakistan win got exposed. I countered those who were supporting traitors, after that they all started harassing me by different means. I only countered them. I didn’t expose, anybody and I am not any police informer. They themselves got exposed.” She added, “A humble request please not to share wrong information.”

The targeted attacks against Jamwal

Several social media users launched a series of attacks against her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. One Twitter handle, Abdullah__Ghazi posted her photograph on Twitter and wrote, “Police informer and main culprit behind SKIMS FIR & UAPA identified as RSS member and worker Ananya Jamwal, an outsider Dogra who’s currently persuing [sic] her medical course from the college.” The tweet has now been deleted.

Ghazi’s now-deleted tweet. Source: Ananya Jamwal/Twitter

Though Ghazi deleted the initial tweet, there are several tweets still active on Twitter against Jamwal. In another tweet, he said, “Police informer and main culprit behind SKIMS FIR & UAPA identified as RSS member & worker Ananya Jamwal, an outsider Dogra who’s currently pursuing her medical course from the college. Sanghan along with other RSS workers launched a massive campaign against local Kashmiri.”

In a Twitter story, Jamwal had quoted one Firdous and said thousands of more Indians would join SKIMS in future. Ghazi termed it as an attempt of “demographic change”. The tweet by Ghazi was particularly serious because there have been multiple fatal attacks on non-Muslims and non-Kashmiris living in the valley in recent weeks. ‘Police informer’ is a tag Islamist terrorist paste upon persons they target to kill.

Ghazi claims to be a journalist from Kashmir Report. He also abused one Dr Monika Langah, who raised his voice in support of Jamwal. He said, “In the era of free speech and OS journalism, fascism and terrorist fanaticism like yours stands hell naked!”

Another user from Kashmir named Mehak Firdous published a story on her Instagram handle in which she claimed the hospitality of Kashmiris had been used against them as “some rogue elements are being hosted in the valley”. She further urged everyone to single out people like Jamwal.

Interestingly, all the attacks targeted towards Jamwal were based on fake information that she was behind informing police about anti-nationals celebrating Pakistan’s victory and raising pro-Pakistan slogans in SKIMS. The screenshot of Mehak’s post was shared by Jamwal. Mehak has since made her Instagram account private.

One Instagram user, Kashmirtweets, shared her photos and a screenshot of her stories, where the user urged everyone to check Jamwal’s story. In the screenshot that Jamwal had posted, there was some information about a student who was raising pro-Pakistan slogans in SKIMS after the T20 match. Jamwal, who had nothing to do with that account, only shared a screenshot.

Story by Kashmir Tweets. Source: Jamwal’s Instagram account.

Support pours in from across country

As the information on attacks towards Jamwal went viral on social media, several netizens came out in her support and demanded action against those who were threatening her. BJP leader Kapil Mishra quoted Ghazi tweet where he was threatening Jamwal and Langeh. Mishra called the attacks unacceptable and demanded action from Home Ministry.

Twitter user Apurva Singh quoted one of Jamwal’s tweets and said, “We are with you.”

Sapna, a Twitter user, said, “We Indians are proud of our courageous, fearless daughters. Maa Durga, protect you both and bless you with more power.”

Manu Khajuria, another Twitter user, said, “We need immediate action against those targeting a nationalist minority  #Dogra #Jammu girl student. Jammu’s patience is running thin with such elements. They neither deserve seats in a govt college or govt jobs. Enough with the appeasement.”

Activist Sonam Mahajan said, “We stand with Ananya Jamwal. Mehak Firdous and Rahila Bilal should immediately be traced by Jammu and Kashmir police and their jihadist connections be probed. In this era of targeted killings of non-Muslims in J&K, we can’t be taking any chances. Jammu has its daughter’s back.”

Some reports suggest that police took cognizance of the attack towards Jamwal and others. The matter has been forwarded to the cyber cell, J&K Police.

OpIndia tried to contact the concerned departments but could not verify if any action was being taken in the matter. We will update the story later.

Gujarat: A case about illegally constructed hotel was given communal twist just because hotel owner was Muslim

Nirwa Mehta
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Gujarat: A case about illegally constructed hotel was given communal twist just because hotel owner was Muslim

On Tuesday, October 26, an online portal, MuslimMirror.com, shared a video on its Twitter handle where some people were protesting against opening of a hotel. MuslimMirror claimed that the protests were because the hotel was owned by Muslims.

Muslim Mirror tweet

MuslimMirror claimed the hotel was being opposed because the owners were Muslims. It made its pinned tweet and in just few hours the tweet had gain quite an amount of reach.

Similar claims were made by usual fake news peddlers like this so-called Professor of Peace and Conflict Research Ashok Swain.

Tweet by Ashok Swain

Swain also claimed the ‘mob’ was protesting against hotel owned by a Muslim.

However, truth, as always is far from the fiction the so-called ‘liberals’ and warriors of secularism are portraying.

Hotel Blue Ivy on the 80 ft ring road in Anand has been in legal trouble since past two years at least over allegations of violation of margin limit. In fact, on 5 November, 2020, the Anand Vallabh Vidyanagar Karamsad Urban Development Authority (AVKUDA) in a letter had mentioned that the construction of Blue Ivy hotel had violated the conditions and margin permission as per the plan approved.

AVKUDA letter on violation of construction

Speaking to OpIndia, Dr Shailesh Shah, one of the petitioners against the illegal construction, said, “Our protest has been against the illegal construction of the hotel. It makes no difference to us whether the owner is Hindu or Muslim or anyone else. The fact that the margin limits were violated is a cause of concern and our protest is against the same.”

He added that he, along with other petitioners have been fighting a case against the illegal construction since 2019. Disturbed Areas Act has been in place in Anand, despite that it seems some builders have found a way to find loopholes to get their way. The above hotel has come up near a Siddhi Vinayak temple.

As per reports, right before the Disturbed Areas Act was implemented in the area, the documents for transfer of property were executed in 2019. On 4 December 2019, restaurant as well as gym had started operating in the premises. Subsequently, a special civil petition was filed in the Gujarat High Court. Even then the citizens had protested against the illegal construction of the building. In November 2020, the company, SK Finance and Investment was served a notice on construction carried out which was in violation of the conditions. Despite that, the builders continued with the construction activity.

Citizens had alleged that despite illegality of construction, the administration kept mum. Not only that, the citizens allege that they even tried to normalise the illegal construction by pushing through a revised map.

In November 2020, the Chitnish to Collector, Anand, had also written to the AVKUDA authorities regarding inaction of authorities on the illegal construction of Blue Ivy hotel.

Letter by Chitnish to Collector

As can be seen, in above letter dated 15 October 2020, the Chitnish to Collector had written to chief officer at AVKUDA regarding the application filed by the petitioners on the illegally constructed hotel and the inaction of the authorities.

However, Jamiat-e-Ulema gave it a communal twist and accused the petitioners of trying to spread communal disharmony. The Anand chapter of Jamiat had given an application. Speaking to OpIndia, Dr Shah said that the lawyer of the defendants, I H Syed, gave a communal twist to the case during one of the hearings where accused the petitioners of communalising the case which in fact is about illegal construction and violation of margin limits. “We would have taken it up even if the hotel owners were Hindus. What is violation of law is violation of law,” Dr Shah said.

High Court order

On 25th October, 2021, the Gujarat High Court has granted 3 more days up to 28 October, 2021 to carry out proper measurement of premises and indicate to what extent the unauthorised construction is carried out.

Blueivy Hospitality Private Limited

Blueivy Hospitality Private Limited has three Directors, Krishna Hitesh Patel, Hasanali Sunsra and Mustakali Sulemanbhai Sunsara. The Sunsaras belong to the Muslim Chelia community, concentrated mostly in Gujarat. Chelias run many such restaurants in Gujarat, many of which are in the highways. They usually claim to be vegetarian hotels on their hoardings and have generic names such as ‘Visamo’, ‘Bharat’, ‘Tusli’, ‘Abhilasha’

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