According to social media reports, an intensely negative campaign is being run against Pakistan on Turkish social media.
A Pakistani Twitter user claims that a negative campaign is being run against Pakistan further fueled by fake accounts pretending to be from Pakistan but allegedly being operated from India. The Twitter user claims that these fake accounts are sending hyper-sensational messages on Turkish media. They are abusing Turkish leaders and calling for the ‘Caliphate’ system in Turkey.
The Turkish opposition leader Umit Ozdag, a strong critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is also gaining traction after passing anti-Pakistan comments on Twitter. The controversy started after a few Pakistani men living in Turkey posted videos of stalking Turkish women on the streets of Turkey.
Indian fake accounts, pretending to be Pakistanis, are adding fuel to the fire.
I did some basic search for few minutes & found at least 20 Indian accounts created in last few months, pretending to be Pakistanis, abusing Atatürk & claiming to bring "Caliphate" in Turkey. pic.twitter.com/UhgYSpTgAA
— OSINT Insider (@OSINT_Insider) May 4, 2022
There was a massive outrage against Pakistani men on Turkish social media. The news even made it to the Turkish electronic and print media. The videos were allegedly shared by Afghan and Pakistani men. In the latest episode, a man was seen filming Turkish women working in the market and shared it on TikTok.
Read more: What is next for Pakistan after Imran Khan’s exit?
No Pakistanis to counter the negative campaign?
The Pakistani Twitter user claims that no campaign has been run by the Pakistani Twitter users to counter the hate campaign on Turkish media. He believes the internal political chaos and instability have consumed the Pakistani social media leaving no space to counter anti-Pakistan campaigns.
It would be unfair to not mention many Turkish accounts who are seeing through this propaganda& warning Turkish people of be cautious of fake Indian accounts.
However, there is no effort from Pakistan to counter this obnoxious campaign aimed at vilifying Pakistanis. pic.twitter.com/eWlwPc5gL8
— OSINT Insider (@OSINT_Insider) May 4, 2022
The Twitter user said that Pakistan also came under attack during the anti-immigrant campaign. According to him, there has been resentment against Arabs, Afghans, and Iranis immigrants in Turkey. Only Pakistan had a goodwill image that is also coming under attack.
Some Turkish Twitter accounts are countering the malicious propaganda against Pakistan but no serious effort is being made by Pakistan to debunk it.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s social media is consumed by political instability in the country.