India-Pakistan Conflict by Vishavjeet Singh Virk https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36 And the role of social media in it. en-us 2019-03-17 05:32:54 UTC 2022-09-18 20:25:42 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Dartstarget.png India-Pakistan Conflict vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344518438 With India and Pakistan standing on the brink of war last month, several false videos, pictures and messages circulated widely on social media, sparking anger and heightening tension in both countries. Allegedly sponsored by Pakistan, terrorist attacked an Indian military convoy in Kashmir, killing 46 military personnel. In response, India conducted an air strike inside Pakistan, allegedly killing 250 terrorists. An air fight ensued between Pakistani and Indian Air force which led to the capture of an Indian pilot in Pakistan. 
This conflict was blown way out of proportion using social media. News outlets as well as the social media acted as the judge, jury and the executioner for the conflict. This case shows us the downside of social media and how it can be used to spread hate and fake news.
]]> 2019-03-24 04:11:07 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344518438 Twitter Battle vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344522718 https://twitter.com/officialdgispr/status/1100207947022565377?lang=en
The link above is a tweet from Pakistani Major General completely disproving the Indian claim to attack the base camp of terrorists. 

The tweet below is one of thousands of tweet from Indian nationals posting the video as a valid proof of successful air strike. What followed was one of the most intense Twitter battle for weeks to come. People on both sides of the border blamed each other for the escalation of issues. This led to the simmering of temperatures which prompted both the governments to take action against the other. This issue would not gain the same amount of global media coverage had there been no social media.]]> 2019-03-24 05:34:37 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344522718 Youtube News Outlets vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344524766 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eZqXQhVlXY
This video in the link above is a video from a Pakistani news channel debunking the Indian air strikes by citing various social media sources like Twitter instead of on-field reporting. This goes to show that media outlets are resorting to use social media as a valid source of information.
The video below shows an Indian reporter debunking the Pakistani claim that an Indian jet was shot down in Pakistan. The reporter rests his case on pictures from social media platforms like Twitter and "proves" that Pakistan is spreading misinformation regarding air strikes. Although, after weeks Indian governement admitted that the picture was indeed of an Indian jet.


]]> 2019-03-24 06:19:33 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344524766 Spreading hate videos on Facebook vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344603003 This Facebook post depicts the aftermath of terrorist attack on the Indian army. Facebook is a powerful social media tool and any video shared on it has the potential to snowball and influence millions of people that watch it. 
Goons beat up innocent Kashmiri students and posted the video on Facebook as an example of the treatment to be meted out to Kashmiris. Xenophobic comments were hurled against them and they were made to shout slogans to prove their patriotism against their will. Attackers managed to succeed in their intentions of spreading the video. It was widely shared on social media which led to an increase of hate crimes against Kashmiris in the following days.

]]> 2019-03-24 19:58:07 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344603003 Proclamation of war on Reddit vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344607358 As with any social media, users share and discuss their opinion with other users. The same is true for Reddit. When India retaliated against Pakistan, a user shared the post on Reddit, asking if both the nations are going to declare war on each other. People on both sides of the border started blaming each other for the escalation. Some users gave hypothetical situations of war and who would win the war in case it happens. They are so engaged in social media that they fail to realize the repercussions of promoting hate and shunning peace.
Although there were people who cautioned against speaking inflammatory language, the voice of majority often drowns the minority. Reddit is the perfect example of how social media shapes up people's opinions.]]> 2019-03-24 20:28:33 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344607358 Pakistan using Twitter as an official news source vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344615232 After Pakistan captured the downed Indian jet fighter, the Information Ministry of Pakistan tweeted a video of the bloodied pilot being interrogated, which is a violation of Geneva Conventions. The video was taken down after India's Foreign Ministry summoned the Ambassador of Pakistan regarding the violation of the treaty. Indian citizens were furious after seeing the video on Twitter with many people demanding war as the only solution if the pilot is not returned. This prompted the government to release statements against Pakistan as the elections for Indian parliament are coming and catering to people's opinion is made a priority near the elections.
This shows that reckless use of social media by government officials can have devastating effects.]]> 2019-03-24 21:22:27 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344615232 Pakistan releases captured Indian pilot - Flipboard vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344645222 Pakistan released captured Indian pilot Abhinandan as a peace gesture after tensions escalated between the two countries. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, downed on Wednesday over Kashmir, crossed into India at the Wagah crossing point, hours later than expected and sporting a black eye.Hashtag #freeabhinandan was viral on Twitter after people demanded that the pilot be released. The capture of pilot may have averted full scale wars between the two countries. 
The same people who were talking about starting a war, now demanded peace because pilot Abhinandan added a human face to the tensions between two countries. Its riveting to watch how social media has the power to tip the scales between peace and war.
 ]]> 2019-03-25 01:15:29 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344645222 Satellite images show buildings still standing at Indian bombing site-Online news Reuters. vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344654822 High-resolution satellite images reviewed by Reuters show that a religious school run by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in northeastern Pakistan appears to be still standing days after India claimed its warplanes had hit the Islamist group’s training camp on the site and killed a large number of militants.
This solidifies the claims of Pakistani media that India conducted air strikes to deviate the public mind from serious issues like poverty and hunger.
Social media acts as a catalyst in spreading fake news. Although it is not proved yet, if the air strikes turn out to be false, it can set a dangerous precedent at how social media can be used to spread fake propaganda.
]]> 2019-03-25 02:16:08 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344654822 Promoting Peace - Instagram. vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344660009 This picture was posted on Instagram by Ravi Singh, CEO of humanitarian organisation Khalsa Aid. Being from the border state of Panjab, Ravi Singh realizes that border states are the first to suffer in case of a war. This post was slap in the face of all the people who were promoting war in the first place.
Instagram is a powerful social media tool to send a moving message. It influences people to a large extent. Ravi Singh's post for instance made a lot of people realize that we should never make decisions based on emotions alone. Logic and humanity should be the driving factors behind any decision.          ]]> 2019-03-25 02:48:55 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344660009 Instagram video by Punjabi Singer Ammy Virk vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344663397 Ammy Virk is a popular Punjabi singer in North India. He was supposed to release a song on the day terrorist attacks occurred. He not only postponed the release of his song, he also decided to donate 1 million rupees to the families of the martyred soldiers.
His post motivated other singers to donate as well and this started a series of events which lead to a total of 500 million rupees to be donated to the bereaved families.
This one of the very few instances that social media was helpful the tense days between the two countries. It also shows the power of Instagram in promoting a positive message.]]> 2019-03-25 03:12:35 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344663397 Online Blog: Billions Dead: That's What Could Happen if India and Pakistan Wage a Nuclear War vishavvirk1990 https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344668161 As mainstream media continued to promote hatred between the two countries, blogs appeared to be the saner source of news. This blog by Zachary Keck rightly explains what the outcome will be if the two nuclear armed countries go to war.
Indian subcontinent is home to around 1.7 billion people which is 1/5th of the world population. A nuclear war between two countries could be potentially catastrophic and would wipe out 1/5th of the world population. It may bring irreversible changes to the climate and the flora&fauna indigenous to the area. Also key to the nuclear dimension of the conflict is the fact that India’s conventional capabilities are vastly superior to Pakistan’s. Consequently, Islamabad has adopted a nuclear doctrine of using tactical nuclear weapons against Indian forces to offset the latter’s conventional superiority.
Blogs like this help to show the outcome of a lethal situation when the mainstream media fails.]]> 2019-03-25 03:51:28 UTC https://padlet.com/vishavvirk1990/lqygbxmo2t36/wish/344668161