Pakistani netizens circulate fake news, dub 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab a 'Sikh, RAW spy'

Pakistan's social media users have a new bogus and bigoted theory to circle around. Netizens across the border have started circulating an old video wherein Zaid Hamid, a right-wing political commentator, falsely claimed that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Ajmal Kasab was a "Sikh man" named Amar Singh and worked as a "spy" for India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). RAW is India's external intelligence agency.

Calling Kasab, a world-renowned terrorist after being part of a ten-member team carrying out the horrific Mumbai attacks in 2008, a Sikh is something that exposes Pakistan's bigoted attitude towards the minority community. The community has been facing increasing hostility and marginalisation within the country, much like other minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians. Hamid's tone on the subject and its popularity, at least among netizens there, is a glaring example of religious intolerance.

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Delusional claims

Taking his gibberish conspiracies further, Hamid said that Indian intelligence sources had identified Kasab "as their agent and had even planned to arrest them, but after so many goof-ups while handling the situation, the sources took a decision to eliminate them." Hamid, in the video, also called another 26/11 terrorist Ismail Khan as "Hira Lal", whom he described as another "RAW agent". He also made yet another sensational claim that the second attacker's face "was mutilated in order to conceal his real identity." Ajmal Kasab and Ismail Khan opened fire at commuters at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, killing as many as 58 people and injuring over 100.

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Insecurity among Sikhs in Pakistan

The September incident of Jagjit Kaur, the Sikh girl, daughter of a granthi at Nankana Sahib, who was kidnapped from her home, forcefully converted and married off to a Muslim boy, is a telling example of the sorry state of minorities in Pakistan. Despite the flagging of the holy Kartarpur corridor and several promises, the Pakistan government cannot even guarantee the safety and security of the Sikh community on its soil. While Pakistan claims to provide a safe atmosphere for the Sikhs and other minorities, in reality, it is openly propagating anti-India activities through the Khalistan movement on its soil.

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(With ANI inputs)