Tony Ashai, a prominent Kashmiri architect, based in the United States is the most recent target of the Indian media and various social media users for one of his tweets.
Tony Ashai, prominent among the Kashmiris in America was born in 1965 in Srinagar. He attended a local art school in Kashmir, after which he studied Architecture in Chandigarh. He then moved to Buffalo, New York City, and earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of New York.
On July 20, the Kashmiri man, vocal about the issues back home in Kashmir, was in the centre of a controversy, when his tweet evoked sharp criticism from various social media users in Kashmir, and later the campaign was picked up by the mainstream media in India.
“Why do I feel that Kashmiris living in Kashmir could do more but they aren’t? Ever since Aug 5 last year I see Diaspora here in US and elsewhere working day and night to advocate the cause but I don’t see the same energy among Kashmiris in Kashmir. Why?” Tony had tweeted on July 20.
Why do I feel that Kashmiris living in Kashmir could do more but they aren’t? Ever since Aug 5 last year I see Diaspora here in US and elsewhere working day and night to advocate the cause but I don’t see the same energy among Kashmiris in Kashmir. Why?
— Tony Ashai (@tonyashai) July 21, 2020
Tony Ashai’s tweet became a point of discussion, many in Kashmir criticized his tweet, saying that Tony cannot be sermonizing Kashmiris, being thousands of miles away from home.
Prominent political commentator, Gowhar Geelani criticizing Tony Ashai’s tweet wrote, “On a lighter note, long-distance nationalism is easy. In 2016, 15,000+ Kashmiris were imprisoned; 1300 partially/fully blinded with pellets; 150 killed; 7,000 injured with bullets & teargas shells. In 2019, 13,000+ imprisoned. Add 2008 & 2016. Draconian UAPAs, PSAs, FIRs. :-)”
On a lighter note, long distance nationalism is easy. In 2016, 15,000+ Kashmiris were imprisoned; 1300 partially/fully blinded with pellets; 150 killed; 7,000 injured with bullets & teargas shells. In 2019, 13,000+ imprisoned. Add 2008 & 2016. Draconian UAPAs, PSAs, FIRs. 🙂 https://t.co/2AAKcoTHAN
— Gowhar Geelani (@GowharGeelani) July 21, 2020
Various social media users also came in support of Tony Ashai appreciating “his love for Kashmir and people back home, even when he could have chose to live a luxurious life being a renowned and prominent architect.” Angad Singh Khalsa, a renowned Skih Activist from Jammu Kashmir in support of Tony wrote, “Everyone has a right to keep their opinion,even no matter if it’s against us or anyone criticism in a positive&decent way should be welcome,always I stand #strongly with @tonyashai. He is moderate speaker. #speakingup against wrong policies of government is not any kind of crime.”
Everyone have to right to keep their opinion,even no matter
if it's against us or anyone criticism in a positive&decent way should be welcome,alwaysI stand #strongly with @tonyashai he is moderate speaker #speakingup against wrong policys of government is not any kind of crime pic.twitter.com/xth9RCZY6n
— _Angad_singh_ (@_Gaziangad_) July 22, 2020
A massive trend stormed Twitter with the Hashtag #WeStandwithTonyAshai. Hundreds of users from across the globe came in support of Tony Ashai upholding his right to speak and freedom to have a personal opinion. But soon, the Nationalist media of India picked up the issue, leveling serious allegations against the world-famous architect.
The issue was soon picked up by sections of Indian Media, the new pop up war rooms criticizing Tony Ashai who has been very vocal about the Kashmir issue, post the abrogation of Article 370 amid a massive political vacuum in Kashmir.
The pop-up war rooms- sections of Indian media alleged that Tony was an affiliate of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front and various others accused him of having links with Pakistan’s premier intelligence Agency-ISI. His previous tweets were blown out of proportion, with the realm of hyper-nationalist jingoism that often stands in contravention with the realities and facts. His photos with Bollywood celebrities like Shahrukh Khan were shared widely to allude to Ashai’s links with them. Many even went on to seek an apology from the superstars for having links with Tony Ashai.
Immediately BJP stepped into the controversy, the National vice-president of BJP, VP Baijayant Panda was quoted by ANI as saying, “Bollywood had connections with mafia operating with Pakistan, their funding also used to come from there. It looks like these connections still exist. Friends of many celebs have pictures with Pak Generals & ISI. They should renounce such links.”
In a response to a tweet, a Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, Tony Ashai said, “And you are a friend of Kashmir? You are a B grade movie producer who is collecting money from poor Kashmiri Pandits in US to make a documentary for them? Playing with their emotions. Get a life.”
Ashai took to his twitter to ridicule the allegations, he wrote, “This conspiracy theory that Indian media is peddling about me being an ISI agent is baseless. These journalists either put out a proof or apologize unconditionally. Short of that you will be sued individually in US Courts and will have to prove it there.”
Qazi Shibli- the editor of The Kashmiriyat, related it to the larger manufactured narrative of vilifying Kashmiris. Speaking about his personal experience of his detention time, he tweeted, “when I landed in the jail for breaking into the story of Abrogation, I was detained, days post that, I was flown to Bareilly Jail, They all called us terrorists or their sympathizers out there, To mainstream media in India, Kashmir has just these 2 categories of people.”
when i landed in the jail for breaking into the story of Abrogation, i was detained, days post that, i was flown to Bareilly Jail, They all called us terrorists or their sympathizers out there, To mainstream media in India, Kashmir has just these 2 categories of people.
— Qazi Shibli (قاضی شبلی) (@QaziShibli) July 22, 2020
The smear campaign against Tony Ashai, if seen in a context, is clearly a smaller thread to the larger picture of Kashmiris being targeted by sections of Indian media. There have been several such repeated news items surfacing on Indian Media channels attempting to manufacture a distorted image of Kashmiris in India, Recently a fake news was run by Republic TV about Kashmiri Muslims attacking the house of a Kashmiri pandit in Anantnag, The Kashmiriyat ran a fact check, spoke to locals and found the story was baseless. A senior Police Official ridiculed the news as baseless and fake.
Recently K-Twitter was under fire and a similar campaign of it being an ISI-run propaganda was run by sections of India media. Prominent politicians including Farooq Abdullah and many in India have accused the Indian media of running decisive political agenda in name of news and letting their political bends decide the content of their news.