In a video that has now gone viral online, the anchor of a show on Pakistan news channel, Newsone, can be heard making a vile anti-Hindu comment while trying to hold India responsible for the landmine blast in South Balochistan on May 1 that has left 6 Pakistani soldiers and a Major dead.
While trying to take potshots at India, the anchor said, “Hindu Bania aab aukat se bahar nikalna lag gaya hai“. It loosely translates as “Hindu Bania is going out of hands.” The video was aired in Pakistan on 9th May 2020.
At around 3 minute into the video, the news anchor, while holding India responsible for the instability in Pakistan, says that Pakistani Army’s restrain should not be considered its weakness. “Till when will we stay quiet because now the Hindu Bania has crossed all limits,” he says.
Further, in the video, Pakistani academician Qamar Cheema, who also appears on debates on Indian news channels, while lamenting on lack of propaganda mechanism in Pakistan said, “We in Pakistan don’t have English media. India’s English media does the propaganda, what are we left doing in Pakistan? There are hardly 2-3 (English) newspapers, how will the world know? The world does not know Urdu. We are anyway weak in English, we don’t have English channels and now if India negotiates with Taliban..”
Showering praises on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s way of handling his Twitter account, Qamar Cheema further said, “I believe the miracles Imran Khan’s Twitter handle has done are second to none. No other Prime Minister of Pakistan has ever tweeted on India’s aggression in Pakistan the way Imran Khan does. Khan sahab’s tweets become headlines in international media. But we must discover new avenues.”
The news programme was based on the recent attack in Balochistan, carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) that has been fighting for Independence from Pakistan State. A spokesperson of the armed group said that the military has been carrying out operations in Tigran and other areas of Turbat in Balochistan and has primarily targeted women and children. The landmine attack was a part of the plan to avenge the harassment meted out to the civilians.
However, despite the fact that the responsibility for the attack was taken by the BLA, the Pakistani News channel seemed hell-bent on framing India’s role in the attack by citing a statement made by Retired Major Gaurav Arya on Republic TV.
Hinduphobia in Pakistan
This is not the first time that such a bigoted, anti-Hindu statement has been made by someone in the media or politics. On ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ which is observed in Pakistan and by Kashmiri separatists, Pakistani leader spewed venom against the Hindus by putting up a poster declaring that Hindus can be taught a lesson only by violence, not dialogue. The poster read, “Hindu baat sen nahin, last see maanta hai.” Earlier in March, a Pakistani propaganda media outlet spread fake news that a Muslim girl was being raped by Hindus in Delhi’s Jafrabad.
