ISLAMABAD: The brief conflict between India and Pakistan last week may have left no clear victor, but Islamabad’s generals are taking a win, riding a wave of approval on social media to burnish their recently tarnished image.
Much of the praise for the military, which had faced increasing criticism over its involvement in politics, has been driven by young people online, with nearly two-thirds of Pakistan’s 240 million people younger than 30.
The last major conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals was in 1999 and confined to the disputed region of Kashmir, so young Pakistanis have been more accustomed to seeing the neighbouring countries clash on the cricket pitch, said digital rights activist Nighat Dad.
But from the start of Indian strikes on Wednesday, “for the first time, they were able to listen to the shots, the blasts, the drone strikes and they witnessed drones flying over their very own houses” in major cities, including the capital, she told AFP.
She said it sparked “an emotionally charged sentiment that someone who is our neighbour, who has been blaming us for terrorist attacks in their country for decades attacks us”.
New Delhi launched strikes after accusing Pakistan of backing a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, a charge repeatedly denied by Islamabad.
By retaliating, Pakistan’s “army cooked Bollywood in front of the whole world”, joked one social media user, claiming the military exploits outshone Indian blockbusters.
“Even Indians would fall for (our) generals,” another said, as social media has been flooded with images of romanticised soldiers and pilots surrounded by hearts.
This year, on May 10, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, and it will now be commemorated in Pakistan as the day of “the battle for justice”.
“We are all behind our army,” proclaim posters put up on streets across the country by both the state and private citizens.
Army chief General Asim Munir, stayed out of the spotlight during the conflict with India, with only the army and government spokespeople speaking publicly.
One high-ranking officer in particular seems to have won the hearts of Pakistanis online: Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, spokesperson for the Air Force, who revelled in the victories of his pilots, with Pakistan having claimed to have downed three French Rafale jets belonging to India.
A European military source considered it “highly unlikely” that three Rafales were destroyed, but said it is “credible” that one may have been.
The “Rafale is a very potent aircraft... if employed well”, quipped Ahmed during a press conference.
The clip quickly spread on social media, with users hailing a “David versus Goliath victory” of their military, which has far less funding, manpower and equipment than the armed forces of India.
“Young Pakistanis used the memes culture, using Indian misinformation as a joke and humour,” with India in response blocking dozens of accounts belonging to Pakistani public figures on X and YouTube, said Dad.
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