'Pakistan is ahead', the story of 'Meme War' that even Indians recognize

 

'Pakistan is ahead', the story of 'Meme War' that even Indians recognize

Whenever tension on a border around the world has darkened public sentiment, culture, art, literature and humor have played a bridge role in keeping humanity connected.

During the First and Second World Wars, cartoons, satirical poems and street theaters eased public anxiety, while soldiers participating in the war tried to reduce mental stress through music and sketches.

In the subcontinent, culture has often kept humanity alive in tense situations. During the 1971 war, comedy programs on television in Pakistan and satirical dramas on Radio Pakistan made the public laugh and reduce bitterness. In India, poets, writers and filmmakers also tried to spread messages of love and brotherhood.

During the fears of a possible war and the tension of the situation, Pakistani comedian Moin Akhtar tried to reduce the bitterness in the environment through humor in his early career. Similarly, in India, the famous poet Rahat Andori also spread the message of love and peace in his poetry.

Rising tension between Pakistan and India and the ‘war’ of memes

Recently, an attack took place in the Pahalgam area of ​​Indian-administered Kashmir in which several people were injured and killed. Indian media and government statements immediately blamed Pakistan for the attack, after which the diplomatic confrontation between the two countries intensified.

As the atmosphere became more tense with official statements and media reports, the Pakistani public expressed their reaction through memes on the internet. One user on social media wrote, “Salman Khan’s wedding will be on Nida Yasir’s show in Pakistan.”

Another account shared a meme and wrote, "Keep the war near my house, mom has forbidden me from going out of society."

The storm of memes in Pakistan was so intense that memes made in Pakistan were also shared in India, as shown in this meme, "Give India water, soap has run out of my eyes."

In another post, a Pakistani user wrote, "We don't fight outside the cast."

Mehreen Saqib writes, "Fighting at night is very hot during the day."

In another video, a user shared a video with a picture of an Indian pilot on a paper plane and said, "Indian plane seen in Pakistan."

While these memes went viral in Pakistan, they also spread all over the world, including India, to the point where many Indian users were even seen saying, ‘What a frivolous and ridiculous nation this is, please someone shut down their internet.’

This trend has been going on in Pakistan for the past few days and has been welcomed not only by the general public but also in political circles. Yesterday, Pakistan’s Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, while talking to private TV channel Geo News, said, ‘Our meme game is very high. The memes that are being created in Pakistan show how calm we are that we know that we are in safe hands and our Pakistani forces are powerful forces. Pakistanis have also excelled in the meme game. I salute everyone for this too.’

 

As one user wrote here, ‘We won the meme war.’

 

These memes not only serve as a means of venting the anger of the Pakistani people, but are also acting as a collective psychological ‘ventilation’ under the pressure of political tension.

Are memes a new weapon of cultural diplomacy?

The question arises, are memes just for fun or can they really soften relations at a cultural level?

Memes are fundamentally a part of modern public expression. They often help to turn the bitterness present in conflicts into a softening one, provided that it avoids the expression of war madness.

Urdu News spoke to some active memers on the Internet who believed that ‘humor and humor in the form of memes keep the path of dialogue open instead of inciting public hostility.’

Although official statements and the media play the drums of war, the ‘meme war’ on social media suggests that the general public may have now moved beyond the full-blown war narrative.

Many people believe that memes are, on the one hand, a mirror of current tensions, and on the other hand, they can also become a silent attempt at cultural resistance and peace.

Perhaps in today’s digital age, memes are not only an expression of public sentiment but also the beginning of a new kind of cultural diplomacy.

 

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During the First and Second World Wars, cartoons, satirical poems and street theaters eased public anxiety, while soldiers participating in the war tried to reduce mental stress through music and sketches.

In the subcontinent, culture has often kept humanity alive in tense situations. During the 1971 war, comedy programs on television in Pakistan and satirical dramas on Radio Pakistan made the public laugh and reduce bitterness. In India, poets, writers and filmmakers also tried to spread messages of love and brotherhood.

During the fears of a possible war and the tension of the situation, Pakistani comedian Moin Akhtar tried to reduce the bitterness in the environment through humor in his early career. Similarly, in India, the famous poet Rahat Andori also spread the message of love and peace in his poetry.

Rising tension between Pakistan and India and the ‘war’ of memes

Recently, an attack took place in the Pahalgam area of ​​Indian-administered Kashmir in which several people were injured and killed. Indian media and government statements immediately blamed Pakistan for the attack, after which the diplomatic confrontation between the two countries intensified.

As the atmosphere became more tense with official statements and media reports, the Pakistani public expressed their reaction through memes on the internet. One user on social media wrote, “Salman Khan’s wedding will be on Nida Yasir’s show in Pakistan.”

Another account shared a meme and wrote, "Keep the war near my house, mom has forbidden me from going out of society."

The storm of memes in Pakistan was so intense that memes made in Pakistan were also shared in India, as shown in this meme, "Give India water, soap has run out of my eyes."

In another post, a Pakistani user wrote, "We don't fight outside the cast."

Mehreen Saqib writes, "Fighting at night is very hot during the day."

In another video, a user shared a video with a picture of an Indian pilot on a paper plane and said, "Indian plane seen in Pakistan."

While these memes went viral in Pakistan, they also spread all over the world, including India, to the point where many Indian users were even seen saying, ‘What a frivolous and ridiculous nation this is, please someone shut down their internet.’

This trend has been going on in Pakistan for the past few days and has been welcomed not only by the general public but also in political circles. Yesterday, Pakistan’s Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, while talking to private TV channel Geo News, said, ‘Our meme game is very high. The memes that are being created in Pakistan show how calm we are that we know that we are in safe hands and our Pakistani forces are powerful forces. Pakistanis have also excelled in the meme game. I salute everyone for this too.’

As one user wrote here, ‘We won the meme war.’

 

These memes not only serve as a means of venting the anger of the Pakistani people, but are also acting as a collective psychological ‘ventilation’ under the pressure of political tension.

Are memes a new weapon of cultural diplomacy?

The question arises, are memes just for fun or can they really soften relations at a cultural level?

Memes are fundamentally a part of modern public expression. They often help to turn the bitterness present in conflicts into a softening one, provided that it avoids the expression of war madness.

Urdu News spoke to some active memers on the Internet who believed that ‘humor and humor in the form of memes keep the path of dialogue open instead of inciting public hostility.’

Although official statements and the media play the drums of war, the ‘meme war’ on social media suggests that the general public may have now moved beyond the full-blown war narrative.

Many people believe that memes are, on the one hand, a mirror of current tensions, and on the other hand, they can also become a silent attempt at cultural resistance and peace.

Perhaps in today’s digital age, memes are not only an expression of public sentiment but also the beginning of a new kind of cultural diplomacy.