New Delhi: With PM Modi saying India will pursue the perpetrators of Pahalgam to the end of the earth, chances of another military operation against terrorist safe havens in Pakistan cannot be ruled out. How are some Pakistanis coping in these tense times? They have chosen the weapon of memes. And many don’t see the point in defending their country—their own suffering is bigger than any military strike can ever achieve.
Pakistani X user @namaloomafraaad summed up the national mood with a brutal yet hilarious post: “The funniest shit is, there is absolutely nothing India can threaten us with that we aren’t already suffering from at the hands of our govt. Pani rok loge? Wese hi nahi aata. Maar doge? Humari govt maar hi rahi hai. Lahore le loge? Le lo, aadhay ghantay baad khud wapis kar jaoge.”
Some had other priorities.
“Jang se pehlay koi khatoon agar meray liye apna pyaar confess karna chahay tou mana nahi karoon ga (Before the war, if any woman wants to confess their love for me, I would not say no),” wrote @RotiKholDeyo, urging pre-war romance.
And there are also demands.
Zainab Abbasi said on X, “Meri modi sarkar se request hai ke British passport holder Pakistanis ke against london main bhe kuch karain (I request modi govt to do something against British passport holder Pakistanis in London)”.
Meanwhile, Punjabis are already sprinting toward ancestral villages to dig up their grandfather’s legendary sony ki daig (golden cauldron), joked one user.
As the Indian government advised all Pakistanis to leave the country, @arhuml92 from Pakistan urged for singer Adnan Sami’s return from India.
Muridke’s moment
Responding to an Indian user’s threat to erase Pakistan from the map, @ohnoanywayy posted a photo of the famous Shaka Laka Boom Boom magic pencil: “I will draw it again.” The magic pencil is a reference to an early 2000s TV show by the same name telecast on Doordarshan.
Others were busy in war prep. “There is a war about to happen and my tailor is yet to give my suit back,” wrote @PehnDiSiri.
@mujadilaah responded: “Nava suit paa ke ki kerna, bomb ki dhoor maati main kharab ho jana (What’s the point of wearing a new suit if it’s going to be ruined by bomb dust?)”
As calls for airstrikes on Pakistani cities such as Muridke, Lahore, and Bahawalpur grew, Pakistanis turned Muridke into an overnight internet celebrity. “Muridke’s time to shine,” declared @TheMuhandiss. Reports suggest Muridke is where Lashkar-e-Taiba is based out of.
With a picture of an ecstatic man symbolising Muridke @MrZainRaza joked: “I can’t believe I got selected.
Parodying ISPR and the Pakistani military’s hypothetical response to Indian accusations, a user posted the screenshot from Dhanush’s Kolaveri Di song with the caption “Yo boys, I am a sing a song.”
Corporate slaves had their own lament. “If war happens, I hope it’s on the weekend. Monday is a working day,” joked one user. “Corporate slavery nay meray mulk ko kahin ka nahi chora,” X user Hasan added.
When the Indian PM avoided Pakistani airspace on his flight from Jeddah to Delhi, the reaction was pure satire. @mahobili posted a clip of ghost-costumed dancers grooving to Daler Mehndi with the caption: “Pakistan air space right now.”
Others offered brutal realism: “Karachi safe hai… Indians can’t destroy what’s already destroyed,” declared Adeel Azhar.
Pakistanis didn’t spare their politicians.
“Rarely see Indians talking about attacking Karachi. Even they realize they’re no match for the PPP government,” added @maybe_ghuf.
When Indian users on X called for Rawalpindi to be flattened, Pakistanis didn’t flinch. One user joked they were already dressing up for the fall of Pindi, turning potential destruction into a festive event.
Also read: Kashmiri Pandits asked to WFH post Pahalgam attack. ‘Is this a permanent solution?’
Bollywood and cricket
Some used cricket jargon to put across their point. “Pehle hi itni flat pitch hai Rawalpindi, aur kitna flatten kerna hai? Road bana dein kya? (Rawalpindi is already so flat—what more do you want? Should we just turn it into a road?)”
Pakistani batter Babar Azam found himself unexpectedly pulled into the meme maelstrom. After Indian authorities released sketches of suspects in the Pahalgam attack, users noticed one bore an uncanny resemblance to Babar. “Ghalat ground mein jawab de diya (he responded on the wrong field),” joked one user.
Memes took a darker, fizzy turn following India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. One user posted a video of a man washing himself with a bottle of Coca-Cola, captioned: “Life after suspension of Indus Water Treaty.”
Lahore, of course, wasn’t spared. When some Indian users threatened to nuke the city, Pakistanis responded with complete indifference. A viral reaction featured a dismissive Nana Patekar emoji, signaling just how unbothered Lahoris really are.
When India’s suggested missile targets again focused on Punjab, many saw it as typical favoritism. They were sad, not because someone called these cities to be nuked but because even now, they felt, even when it comes to missiles, Punjab chose to encroach on the rights of other places.
“Idhar bhi Punjab baqi soobon ka haq k missile kha gaya,” wrote a disgruntled user.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)