The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seeking its third consecutive term, is determined to overcome anti-incumbency sentiments. One of their key strategies involves invoking the “Pakistan card.” This approach includes misinformation campaigns, pro-nationalist narratives, rising extremism, fostering animosity towards Pakistan, voter suppression, undermining political opposition, fabricating stories, and raising concerns about deceptive election tactics. The anti-Pakistan rhetoric plays a significant role in Indian politics, with the BJP consistently adopting a hardline stance on Pakistan, resonating with average Indian voters and binding the party to maintain this discourse in their policies and election campaigns to avoid voter backlash.
Anti-Pakistan sentiments have frequently surfaced in India, making Pakistan a recurring theme in the BJP’s election manifesto. In 2014, the BJP emphasized its commitment to addressing refugee concerns from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in its manifesto. This trend reappeared in 2019 following the Pulwama attacks, which stirred nationalistic emotions among the populace. In a notable incident, the BJP’s youth wing, Yuva Morcha, criticized Shashi Tharoor, a former Minister of External Affairs and current Lok Sabha member, telling him to “go to Pakistan” over his criticism of the Modi government.
The construction of a Pakistan-centric populist discourse often involves misinformation campaigns and leveraging Bollywood as a rhetorical tool as elections approach. In 2019, the film “URI: The Surgical Strike” aligned with the BJP’s nationalist stance, promoting the government’s agenda and contributing to Modi’s victory. In a similar vein, upcoming movies like “Article 370” and “Fighter” reinforce the BJP’s anti-Pakistan narrative on Kashmir, aligning with current political themes and gaining public sympathy.
Indian election campaigns frequently feature false propaganda and disinformation linking opposition parties to Pakistan. During the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, Modi accused former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of conspiring with Pakistani diplomats. This rhetoric persisted, with Modi later accusing the Congress party of being aligned with Pakistan and claiming Pakistan wanted Rahul Gandhi as India’s Prime Minister. Addressing rallies in Gujarat, Modi criticized Congress’s mentality, stating its manifesto was written in the “language of the Muslim League.”
Provocative statements by Indian leaders regarding the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir have surged. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that the people of POK would demand to join India. Pakistan rejected such claims, with Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra condemning the rhetoric as a threat to regional peace, labeling it a reckless practice by Indian politicians to drag Pakistan into India’s populist discourse for electoral gain. Anti-Pakistan, anti-Kashmir, and anti-Muslim rhetoric are used to mobilize Hindu voters during campaigns. The 2019 surgical strike following the Pulwama attack was a key element of the BJP’s electoral strategy, with Modi emerging as a national hero in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Rajnath Singh warned that if terrorists from a neighboring country disturb peace in India or engage in terrorist activities, India would retaliate forcefully, even crossing into Pakistan if necessary. This surge in provocative statements threatens regional peace and stability.
Indian intelligence officials have claimed that the government ordered killings in Pakistan as part of its strategy against terrorists abroad. According to a report by The Guardian, these assassinations were part of a broader plan, raising further concerns about the Modi government’s involvement in extrajudicial actions, which jeopardize security and stability, particularly during critical election periods.
