NEW DEHLI – Renowned Indian journalist and senior editor of The Wire, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, is facing an online hate campaign, threats, and obscene messages from Hindu extremists after making statements in favor of peace and against war.
Despite being an award-winning journalist, Sherwani is being labeled as “anti-national” and a “traitor” by far-right groups for her pro-peace stance amid tensions between India and Pakistan.
Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking platform Alt News, stated that this harassment is not random. He pointed out that it is being orchestrated by a Hindutva-aligned account called Hindutva Knight, which has a history of targeting Muslim journalists.
So far, there has been no official statement from Indian authorities or the police regarding the threats made against Arfa Khanum Sherwani, one of India’s most prominent Muslim female journalists.
The critics argue that the silence of India’s Hindu nationalist government on such attacks encourages these campaigns and spreads fear among Muslims and other minorities.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s successful military operation Bunyān Mursūs has left Indian media in disarray.
On the other hand, controversial Indian TV anchor Arnab Goswami, often associated with “Godi media” (a term for pro-government media), has issued threats against Pakistanis.
In response, senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir questioned him bluntly: “Are you a journalist or a terrorist? How can you threaten Pakistanis?”
It may be mentioned here that after Pakistan’s strong military retaliation, the Indian government and media appear unsettled, with opposition parties and veteran Indian journalists sharply criticizing the Modi administration.
