New Delhi: There was a flood of comments from across the border last week as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Hyderabad released a song that draws its tune from a patriotic number launched by Pakistan military’s public relations wing last month.
Among the Twitter users weighing in on Raja Singh’s “Hindustan Zindabad” song was Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Pakistan military’s chief spokesperson, who sought to call out the MLA for “copying” the Pakistani song while adding a jibe about the two countries’ 27 February dogfight.
Tweeting from his personal handle – @peaceforchange – Ghafoor wrote, “Glad that you copied. But copy to speak the truth as well.
#PakistanZindabad.”
Glad that you copied. But copy to speak the truth as well. #PakistanZindabad https://t.co/lVPgRbcynQ
— Asif Ghafoor (@peaceforchange) April 14, 2019
The last part of the tweet was seen as a potshot at India’s claim that it had shot down a Pakistani F-16 during the dogfight, an assertion vociferously denied by Islamabad.
‘Har Dil Ki Awaz’
Raja Singh, a member of the Telangana Legislative Assembly representing the Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, released the song Sunday, to coincide with Ram Navmi.
He had, however, released a curtain-raiser 12 April with a snippet of the song. Pakistani Twitter users were quick to take note, commenting in droves that it had the same tune as “Har Dil Ki Awaz“, a song released by the Inter-Services Public Relations last month to mark Pakistan Day on 23 March.
While “Har Dil Ki Awaz” has been sung by one of Pakistan’s most popular singers, Sahir Ali Bagga, Singh has himself lent vocals for “Hindustan Zindabad“.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=knTMXzj16YY
Singh dedicated the song to the Indian Army.
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Strain in ties
Ties between India and Pakistan have been deeply strained since the 14 February Pulwama attack, which saw a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber strike a CRPF convoy and kill 40 personnel.
Expectedly, most of the comments from Pakistan cited this phase of discord as they pointed out the similarities between the two songs.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said recently that the two countries had a better shot at peace if the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi came back to power.
Even so, at an election rally Sunday in Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir, Modi once again lashed out at Pakistan.
Referring to the Balakot strikes the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out on JeM camps 26 February, he said, “Pakistan and its supporters have been threatening us for long with its nuclear capability but the IAF called its bluff with its strikes.
“Those days are gone when India would give in to threats. This is a new India and it will strike terrorists well inside their hideouts across the border,” Modi added.
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Shah bhai modi bhai raja bhai have conducted a SIR JEE kal strike for Imran SIR JEE