25.3.21

Bangladesh in social media ‘war’ with Pakistan

A fierce social media ‘war’ has erupted between pro-Liberation Bangladeshis and the Pakistanis resenting Bangladesh’s much vaunted progress and growing relations with India ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country.

Modi will be the Guest of Honour at the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh Independence on March 26, the day in 1971 when Pakistan’s brutal army started ‘Operation Searchlight’, a genocidal campaign to stamp out the Bengali revolt for Independence.

The Twitter war has been sparked by some Bangladeshi radicals backing the Hifazat-e-Islam's announcement to stop “Modi from entering Dhaka”. Pro-liberation forces who express gratitude to India for its role in Bangladesh’s liberation promptly denounced the Hifazat move as an ‘evil ploy’ by Pakistani intelligence ISI to disrupt not only Modi's visit but also the celebrations of 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence.

They also attacked Hifazat-Khilafat leaders as 'powerhungry' and 'traders of religion'. Some tweets and Facebook posts also showcased Bangladesh's economic and human development achievements cited in top global publications like 'Diplomat' and 'Wall Street Journal' and contrasted this with Pakistan's downslide.

That provoked a strong riposte from Pakistani Twitterati and Facebookers with some presenting absolute cooked up statistics to show Pakistan was ahead of Bangladesh in many respects. Bangladesh's net warriors shot back immediately asking uncomfortable questions.

Islamist radical groups like Hifazat have threatened to block Modi’s entry into Dhaka city from the airport, prompting furious security preparations by Bangladesh security forces. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered tough action against anyone trying to disrupt Modi’s visit.

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