Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday reacted to the recent consequential developments in India news media, the alleged fake TRP scam case, and the highly-sensational WhatsApp chats between Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and Partha Dasgupta, a former CEO of TV rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).
On Monday, the Pakistan Prime Minister tweeted out from his official handle on the microblogging website, slamming the Narendra Modi-led Government of India and stating that the recently 'leaked' conversations "reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt and Indian media".
Notably, Pakistan had long accused that the Indian government could potentially carry out 'false flag operations', in an attempt to pursue punitive action against Islamabad, thus influencing electoral prospects ahead of a poll.
In a series of tweets, Imran Khan wrote, ""In 2019, I spoke at UNGA on how India’s fascist Modi govt used the Balakot crisis for domestic electoral gains. Latest revelations from communication of an Indian journalist, known for his warmongering, reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt & Indian media that led to a dangerous military adventurism to win an election in utter disregard for the consequences of destabilising the entire region. Pakistan averted a larger crisis by a responsible, measured response to Balakot. Yet, Modi govt continues to turn India into a rogue state."
He added, "Indian sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan, its abuses in IIOJK [Pakistan's name for Jammu and Kashmir] & a 15-year Indian global disinformation campaign against us all stand exposed. Now India's own media has revealed the dirty nexus that is pushing our nuclearised region to the brink of a conflict it cannot afford. I want to reiterate that my govt will continue to expose India's belligerent designs towards Pakistan & Modi govt's fascism. Int community must stop India from its reckless, militarist agenda before the Modi govt's brinkmanship pushes our region into a conflict it cannot control."
The Pakistan Foreign Office also issued a statement on the Arnab Goswami Whatsapp transcripts.
"The recent transcripts revelations in India further vindicate our consistent position that RSS-BJP Govt. stages 'false flag' operations; maligns Pakistan with terrorism-related allegations; stokes hyper-nationalism in its bid to win elections," The Pakistan Foreign Office tweeted.
"The transcripts also illustrate the unholy nexus b/w the ‘Hindutva’ regime & its cronies in the Indian media. Such actions by the reckless regime driven by considerations of domestic politics are gravely imperiling regional peace and security. We hope that the international community would take full cognizance of the situation and hold India accountable for its actions vitiating the regional environment and endangering peace and security in South Asia," the Foreign Office added.
For the uninitiated, the recently 'leaked' WhatsApp conversations between Goswami and Dasgupta are now available on the public domain.
They reveal that the journalist had some prior information about the 2019 Balakot airstrike, which was conducted by India in the vicinity of the town of Balakot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, purportedly in retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack, for which New Delhi blames on Islamabad.
The airstrike occurred ahead of the 2019 Indian general election. On 19 February, Pakistan's PM had attributed the Indian government's desire to attack Pakistan to influencing the upcoming election. The Indian government had, however, rejected the allegation.
The leaked messages show that Goswami allegedly shared developments on the military action, three days before the actual strike.
