A terror attack in Pakistan’s Quetta claimed at least 59 people lives and left 118 injured. Even as more details about the deadly attack on the Pakistani police training academy on Monday night Twitter did what it does best– fight and outrage. So, India was inevitably dragged into the tragic incident for no fault of our country’s government but the way Twitter functions.
One of the most bizarre tweets that brought India in the frame of events happening in Quetta was by an Indian journalist. The journalist wanted to know whether Indian actors will condemn the Quetta attacks.
There’s been a massive attack at Police training college in Quetta, Pak. I’d like to see how many Indian actors/actresses condemn this.
— Zakka Jacob (@Zakka_Jacob) October 25, 2016
The journalist drew a comparision between the demand of Pakistani actors condemning the Uri terror attacks and Indian journalist doing the same for Quetta. While terror in any part of the world is condemnable in equal measure, this analogy was completely unjustified and uncalled for. He got a befitting response from another Twitter user.
Many had condemned Peshawar attack. But by taking this tone, you, an alleged Indian journo, are suggesting that India behind Quetta attack. https://t.co/46egZNQndC
— Rahul Roushan (@rahulroushan) October 25, 2016
Another Twitter user asked:
@Zakka_Jacob Are the terrorists India sponsored..Are our actors acting in Pak movies..Intellectual stupidity is a media disease?
— Sovan Mohapatra (@desh2014) October 25, 2016
Ever since the Uri attacks led to the worsening of ties between India and Pakistani, artists from the neighbouring country have been under attack. Raj Thackeray’s party MNS ran a vicious campaign against films starring Pakistani actors.
In fact, they almost stalled the release of Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil as it starred Fawad Khan. The threats to the filmmaker and the film only stopped after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis intervened and Thackeray’s demand for Rs 5 crore as compensation for casting a Pakistani was booed by both people and ex-army men.
The insanity of this string of events in self explanatory and shows how our politicians latch on to issues of national importance for their petty political benefits. The learned journo could have avoided adding fire in to the ongoing madness by falling into the trap of binaries.
Update on Quetta attack:
According to Major General Sher Afgan, Chief of the Paramilitary Frontier Corps Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-jhangvi — an al Qaeda-linked militant group that has been behind many attacks on the country’s Shiite Muslim minority. One attacker was killed by security forces; two others died when they detonated bombs they were carrying, reported CNN.
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