Modi’s belligerence

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s obsession with Pakistan continues to take up an unhealthy amount of his days. His latest belligerent statement was a claim that India’s “armed forces will not take more than seven to 10 days to make Pakistan bite the dust.” The Foreign Office rejected Modi’s remarks, calling them a “reflection of India’s incurable obsession with Pakistan”. The Foreign Office also called the international community’s attention to “take cognisance of Indian leadership’s continuing belligerent rhetoric and aggressive measures, which pose a threat to regional peace and security”.

Modi had also referred to border incidents in 2016 and 2019. In the former, two Pakistani soldiers were martyred by Indian firing across the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. At the time, India claimed to have carried out surgical strikes on Pakistan, which was refuted by Pakistan and international observers alike. Despite the snub, India’s propaganda machine stuck to the lie. In 2019 came the Balakot raid, where India claimed to have killed over a hundred terrorists, while Pakistan and the world media showed that the only victims of the incident were a few birds and trees. India, on the other hand, had to suffer the ignominy of having a pilot shot down and captured by Pakistan. Despite the humiliation, Modi and his minions successfully played this as a victory.

But there is one thing for which credit must be given to Modi. Every time he has egg on his face, he successfully fools people into believing it is just part of his skincare regimen. Modi’s increased hawkishness is not some random occurrence. He is under severe pressure after weeks of protests against his bigoted citizenship law changes, his legislative changes in Kashmir and the ensuing statewide communications lockdown, and a struggling economy. He is even failing on the health front. His government is advising citizens to use poisonous arsenic as an ayurvedic measure to “prevent” the current incurable strain of coronavirus.

Modi is looking for a way to stave off impending defeat for his Bharatiya Janata Party in upcoming state elections. Unfortunately for him, and doves around the world, he is failing miserably. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2020.

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