While Pakistani establishment struggles to soothe out the internal uproar after India’s move to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, help for the rogue nation is coming out from various pseudo-liberal politicians based in India. Nonetheless, Indian administration and security forces have been proactive in exposing these meek and misleading attempts which serve no purpose other than stoking violence in the Kashmir valley and propagating Pakistani propaganda. The latest but habitual fear monger is Shehla Rashid, whose appalling claims have been demolished by the Indian Army. An FIR has also been filed against her for inciting violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
With unverified claims, Shehla Rashid, whose nascent political career ended up in tatters after Article 370 abrogation, has alleged in a tweet that Indian Security forces have been ‘torturing’ Kashmiris and has also alleged that the security forces have been mistreating Kashmiri families. Indian Army said: “Allegations levelled by Shehla Rashid are baseless and rejected. Such unverified & fake news are spread by inimical elements and organisations to incite unsuspecting population.”
Indian Army: Allegations levelled by Shehla Rashid are baseless and rejected. Such unverified & fake news are spread by inimical elements and organisations to incite unsuspecting population. pic.twitter.com/m6CPzSXZmJ
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2019
Shehla Rashid had tweeted, “In Shopian, 4 men were called into the Army camp and “interrogated” (tortured). A mic was kept close to them so that the entire area could hear them scream, and be terrorised. This created an environment of fear in the entire area.”
Shehla also alleged “Armed forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on the floor, mixing oil with rice, etc.”
For Shehla Rashid this is not the first time she has been called out for spreading fake news, earlier in February 2019 Dehradun Police filed a FIR against Rashid for a tweet she posted on 16 February 2019 where she had written, “15-20 Kashmiri girls trapped in a hostel in Dehradun for hours now. Mobs outside are baying for their blood. Police is present but unable to disperse the mob.” The FIR was filed under sections 504, 505 and 153b of the Indian Penal Code.
Shehla Rashid in the past has also been called out for her highly divisive and objectively poor views on several issues, with most of the opinions amounting to just blatant fear-mongering and clear disconnect with ground realities. Nonetheless, looking at the trend it is not surprising that enemies of the nation have been picking up similar vacuous comments to justify and propagate their anti-India agenda.
Psuedo-liberal media is also not behind in spreading misleading news, earlier The Wire a media outfit which also has been called out a number of times for its skewed and controversial reporting on sensitive issues, had put out a ‘convenient’ report which was then used by the Pakistani deep state to further radicalize its population against India.
The Pakistani establishment had similarly used a video by NDTV, another controversial media outlet, to further propagate and justify their hate against India. However, NDTV in a surprising and shocking move came out and tried to distance itself away from the dangerous use of the misleading report.
In dearth of any locus standi on the legislative developments, Pakistan, along with politicians like Shehla Rashid has also been largely been relying on Indian media including Wire, Quint and other such left-liberal outlets for its anti-India campaign. At this time while the nation is praying for the safety of people in Jammu and Kashmir and the Lakhs of security personnel in the region, these misleading attempts need not only firm condemnation but also calls for legal action against those undermining India’s national security.
