In a recent address that has sparked attention across social media, the Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) of Pakistan, Major General Babar Iftikhar, made a bold statement urging neighboring India to stop living in a fantasy world and face reality.
His words came in response to a series of claims made by India following a series of tense military exchanges between the two countries. Major General Iftikhar expressed frustration over India’s portrayal of the conflict, calling it nothing more than a script written for Bollywood-style drama, rather than a reflection of the real-world events at hand.
“Please stop living in Bollywood. Grow up,” said the DG ISPR, referring to the sensationalized narratives being pushed by Indian media. He emphasized the need for India to leave behind the dramatized stories and come to terms with the truth.
The statement, which was delivered with confidence and a touch of humor, quickly went viral on social media, with people across Pakistan sharing clips of the address. The DG ISPR’s remarks came after a series of escalations between India and Pakistan, marked by the shooting down of an Indian aircraft on the night of May 6th and 7th. The Pakistani military claimed that India’s advanced aircraft, which had been touted as a high-tech marvel, was brought down in a successful operation.
In addition to the downing of the aircraft, Major General Iftikhar also pointed out the destruction of Indian drones, claiming that Pakistan had effectively neutralized each of them. He called out India for its attempts to save face after these military setbacks and accused the Indian government of spreading false information to cover up its failures.
“Your face is being blackened,” Iftikhar added, referring to India’s inability to defend its actions and the spread of what he referred to as a “concocted story.” He stressed that the world was no longer fooled by these fabrications and that Pakistan’s military had clearly shown its superiority in this latest round of tensions.
The DG ISPR further criticized the Indian government for failing to provide any solid evidence to back their claims. Since April 22nd, he said, India had been unable to prove any of its accusations against Pakistan. Instead, Iftikhar accused India of resorting to violence against innocent civilians, including children, as a means of deflecting attention from its own failures.
In his speech, he also touched on the growing dissatisfaction within India. He pointed out that citizens inside the country were starting to question their government’s actions, particularly in light of the security failures that had become more apparent as the crisis unfolded.
Iftikhar also called out Indian media outlets for spreading false reports. He referred to an incident involving a Pakistani man who had been leading funeral prayers at a mosque following a recent bombing. The Indian media had claimed that the man was related to someone they were trying to link to the Pakistani military, but when questioned, the man clarified that he had no such connection.
The DG ISPR highlighted how even prominent Indian officials, including the Indian High Commissioner in the UK, had spread misinformation regarding this individual. He urged the international community to fact-check these stories before accepting them as truth.
In a final message, Iftikhar appealed to the global media, urging them to not be swayed by the disinformation coming out of India. He suggested that India had become a “misinformation churning machine” and stressed the importance of relying on facts and evidence.
While Major General Iftikhar’s comments were pointed, they were also part of a larger call for accountability and transparency in the face of rising tensions. His message to India was clear: it was time to stop fabricating stories and confront the real issues at hand.
The address has left many on both sides of the border talking. As the situation continues to evolve, the hope is that truth and diplomacy will guide the way forward.