WEB DESK: Temu version of Benjamin Netanyahu or otherwise known as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political career has been defined by an obsession with Pakistan: one that goes beyond routine hostility and instead reflects a dangerous strategy to vilify, destabilise, and threaten its neighbour. So much so that he perhaps convinced Team India in the Asia Cup to not shake hands with the Pakistani team! On his birthday today,
Islamabad has repeatedly condemned Modi’s rhetoric as “reckless and provocative,” warning that his threats are a blatant violation of the UN Charter, which obliges member states to resolve disputes peacefully and refrain from the use of force. During a fiery rally in Gujarat, Modi declared that Pakistanis must “live a life of peace, eat your bread or else my bullet is always an option.” Pakistan’s Foreign Office responded by calling the remarks “a reckless provocation” designed to deflect attention from India’s own human rights abuses and demographic engineering in occupied Kashmir. India’s defeat after Operation Sindoor in May through Pakistan’s Bunyan Al Marsoos is also not humbling Modi in any way rather now he wants to bask in glory that does not exist.
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But Modi’s fixation on Pakistan is not limited to speeches. According to an investigative report by The Guardian, India’s intelligence agency RAW has carried out at least 20 assassinations on Pakistani soil since 2020. This revelation echoes allegations made by Canada regarding the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, pointing to a disturbing trend of extrajudicial operations linked to New Delhi. For analysts, such actions bolster Modi’s strongman image at home and feed into the BJP’s hardline narrative that demonising Pakistan is an electoral asset.
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The campaign extends into India’s cultural and media landscape. Bollywood, once a unifying bridge between the two countries, has increasingly produced films glorifying war and painting Pakistanis as villains. From The Kashmir Files to Pathaan and Fighter, recent blockbusters have distorted history, spread Islamophobic tropes, and glorified military aggression against Pakistan. Modi and his ministers have actively promoted these films, dismissing criticism as conspiracies to “suppress the truth.” Meanwhile, Muslim actors in India, including superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, have faced pressure to conform or face accusations of “being pro-Pakistan.”
India’s mainstream media, derided by critics as “Godi media,” has further amplified Modi’s narrative. Major outlets owned by billionaire allies like Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani operate in lockstep with BJP talking points, while networks such as ANI have been exposed for spreading disinformation against Pakistan through fabricated reports, as highlighted by the EU DisinfoLab investigation.
For Pakistan, this pattern of hate-filled rhetoric, covert operations, and media manipulation is not just political theatre but a deliberate plot to destabilise the region. Islamabad has warned that Modi’s actions pose a grave threat to peace in South Asia and has urged the international community to take note of India’s incendiary conduct.
Modi’s India has turned Pakistan into a perpetual scapegoat, weaponising fear and hatred to consolidate power at home. But as Islamabad stresses, peace cannot be achieved through threats, propaganda, or extrajudicial killings, only through dialogue, mutual respect, and adherence to international law.