As Indian and Pakistani citizens reel over the latest spat (okay, more than a spat) between the 2 nations, ordinary citizens and the who’s who of showbiz took to Twitter to wear the patriot badge. Some tweeted pro-national slogans, others tweeted anti- (other country) slogans, and some just pleaded for sanity.
What is interesting is that, the tone of a country’s social media posts has come to gradually mirror the tone of those who guide affairs at the helm. Eg, PM Imran Khan’s call for restraint has been retweeted with several appeals for sanity by Pakistan’s social media influencers. This was a welcome, and mature stance, applauded by many across the border too. Sadly, the opposite has been true for India – Mr. Modi is no IK we agree, but what has emerged eventually, (and thankfully), is a joint call for restraint by ordinary people from both sides of the border. #SayNoToWar hashtag trended overnight as Indians and Pakistanis tweeted restraint.
Whilst one Indian citizen tweeted:
We are on the brink of a war that nobody in their right mind in either Pakistan or India want. Imran Khan’s words should be welcomed. Encourage dialogue, commit to deescalation. Anyone who thinks otherwise should for a moment swap places with Abhinandan & his family #SayNoToWar
A Pakistani responded:
I as a citizen of Pakistan request my govt to treat the “captive” Indian pilot well and send him back ASAP as a gesture of peace. Come on Pakistan you can do this #SayNoToWar
But moving on from the Pak India (un) dosti situation, the no fly zones and the Tapal, Lipton Chai debate (our memes are ready to take over the most dire of situations), we want Indians and Pakistanis the world over to know what they missed out on while we watched and (shared) repeated clips of IAF pilot Abhinandan praising the Pak army. Wait a minute, wasn’t there a limit to how many times a Whatsapp message could be shared? I think we crossed the LOC AGAIN! And Whatsapp doesn’t seem to care, Thank Goodness!
Did you know that Idris Elba has been named the sexiest man alive? And he’s all set to premiere on his new Netflix Comedy serial – Turn Up Charlie in March 2019? And that pulls down Richard Madden’s chances a notch or two for the upcoming 007 role? And whoever else was in the running?
Did you also know that Suicide Squad 2 will regroup without Will Smith? Having played Deadshot in Warner Bros’ 2016 anti-hero movie “Suicide Squad,” Will Smith is not returning for 2021’s follow-up. How’s that for a huge thumbs down?
Did you know that HBLPSL went on as usual and the points table reads Peshawer Zalmi right on top, followed by Islamabad United whilst Multan Sultans are, yes, wait for it…RIGHT at the BOTTOM of the table! (Lahore Qalandars is still hanging in there at no. 4, don’t worry). The point to worry about is: Will we be able to hold the last leg of the tournament in Pakistan? We’re sure the current situation has got some players thinking??? A welcome announcement last night by the organizers say that: So far, all matches will be played according to schedule. Let’s add the proverbial Insha Allah and hope for the best – God Willing!
Did you know, that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper ‘performed’ Shallow at the Oscars as a true Love song performance. It swayed audiences so much that they’re digging deeper to uncover a story within a story, (we all love Love Stories) and Lady Gaga had to explain: It was a love song, what did you expect? We were performing on stage! Does that throw water on the rumours? Not for the love struck who are engaging body language experts to decipher what the 2 were up to on stage.
Did you know that IK popularity polls must have crept up a gazillion times (even across the border), after his call to restrain and de-escalate. Some Indian politicians also quoted, and lauded our PM on his speech.
Did you know that SRK and Amitabh’s Badla is releasing on 8th. March and we want to know what Women’s day has to do with 2 of Bollywood’s ruling heroes. Well, I guess we won’t find out unless Mr. Bachan or Khan announce that: ‘We messed with the Best’, and as a sign of good will, they are releasing Badla in cinemas across Pakistan? We hope, really do, that the film fares well, and it’s not a Badla for the Pakistani fans who are presently rooting for Project Ghazi, Karachi Se Lahore 3, Legend of Maula Jatt, Kambakht, Parey Hut Love and possibly, a Teefa in Trouble sequel and of course, Mahira Khan’s (now legendary) tweets, that speak grace and maturity, and so much restraint. (We love her even more now, if that were possible).
Finally, did you know that we will always have a true friend in Turkey? ‘We are with you’, is the message we received from Turkey, so if any of you Pakistani gals are rooting for LOVE, Turkey is the way to go for sure – A tried and tested relationship through thick and thin!
We have to say that the recent India Pakistan fiasco has brought a chance for leaders to lead by example, and a nation too. In this case, we’re proud of you Pakistan. Our rulers, celebs and citizens have stood up to the test … Of course, we mean the Pakistani Fauj too … without you, we wouldn’t have missed out on all of the above. But then, sometimes it’s okay to choose coffee over chai – does anyone really know what he was drinking btw? We’re hoping it was Kashmiri!
