MUST READ!! A new war against Pakistan-of words

SOUTH BLOCK always had wordsmiths. But over the last few months, as India works towards naming and shaming Pakistan, their skill is on display more than ever. On Sunday morning, PM Narendra Modi called Pakistan the “mothership of terrorism” at the BRICS summit. And in the evening, at the BRICS-BIMSTEC summit, he said, “Terrorism is Pakistan’s favourite child”.

A few weeks ago, at the United Nations, India described Pakistan as the “Ivy League of terrorism”, which hit global headlines. A top official, entrusted with drafting the PM’s speeches, told The Indian Express, “Ever since the government decided to isolate Pakistan globally, we have been working on his speeches and trying to come up with innovative ways to describe Pakistan’s links with terrorism.”

He said that while South Block doesn’t have a dearth of in-house talent, they have been also reaching out to “outside experts”. “There are retired diplomats, MPs, sometimes even ministers, writers and journalists who are being tapped to give suggestions,” said the official.

The phrase “Ivy League of terrorism” was apparently coined by Indian diplomats in New York. “The intensity and frequency of use of such phrases is an outcome of our diplomatic offensive to isolate Pakistan globally,” said an official.

Traditionally, Pakistan was always described as a country which uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy. “This formulation was used by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh… it was used since the days of Rajiv Gandhi,” said Dilip Sinha, former joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs who was in charge of Pakistan.

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