Pakistan’s government is trying hard to counter the terror charges levelled by India after the massacre of 26 tourists by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. But the latest challenge that the Shehbaz Sharif government is facing is from within. Pakistanis have started trolling their own government with the mounting frustration spilling onto social media.
The Pahalgam attack – at a popular tourist hotspot known as ‘Mini Switzerland’ – has escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, with both countries suspending visa services and expelling visitors from their neighbours. India has also suspended the Indus Water Treaty, citing “sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan”.
Facing such existential challenges, the people of Pakistan have started questioning the leadership and are demanding accountability for the ghastly Pahalgam attack. And they are venting their frustration against their government through memes and satire.
Most of these posts and memes are in response to Indians over New Delhi’s move against Pakistan. Using humour as a tool to voice their dissent, the users have pointed out how Pakistan has failed to provide basic amenities to its people.
Amid a clamour for war on social media, Pakistanis are concerned if they could afford such a conflict, given their financial condition. A user mockingly suggested on X that if Indians want a war with Pakistan, they must finish it before nine o’clock. The reason: the gas supply goes off after that, he said.
Another user sarcastically replied, “Don’t give them more lame jokes. Aata, paani, bheek, (food, water, alms) and now gas.” “They must know they are fighting with a poor nation,” said a third user, pointing to the financial condition of the country.
On another thread, a group of Pakistanis engaged in criticising the “misery” they are living in. The conversation starts with a user asking if India is going to bomb Pakistan. To this, someone replied, “Indians aren’t stupid.” But for a third user, their misery isn’t better than being bombed. “When is this misery gonna end bro?” the user asked.
A Pakistani user also shared a popular meme trolling Pakistan’s air force. Replying to an Indian user who posted glimpses of the Indian Air Force and called for action over the Pahalgam attack, he shared the meme showing a man riding a motorcycle modified with a fighter jet-like structure on it, likely made out of paperboard.
Referring to India suspending the Indus Water Treaty and threats of stopping river water flow to Pakistan, a user flagged that Pakistan itself has a shortage of water. “Want to stop water? There’s no supply anyway. Want to kill us? Our government is already killing us. Will you take Lahore? You will return it within half an hour,” he said mockingly.
