New Delhi: The Pakistan government and the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan made their way into the controversy over Arnab Goswami’s WhatsApp chats, saying the Republic TV founder’s conversations “show” that the Balakot airstrike was planned by the Narendra Modi government to win the 2019 general elections.
The Mumbai police have annexed chats between Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO Partho Dasgupta, which showed that Goswami was aware of the airstrike – which the Indian Air Force conducted as retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019 – at least three days in advance.
The Pakistan foreign ministry reacted to this development on January 17, saying transcripts of the chats “proved” that India’s “RSS-BJP government” had staged a “false flag operation” to tarnish Pakistan of sponsoring terror, by “whipping up hypernationalistic passions in India to gain electorally”.
On January 18, Pakistan Prime Minister Khan in a tweet said the Balakot airstrike was “used” by the Modi government for domestic electoral gains. He added that it “pushed our nuclearised region to the brink of a conflict it cannot afford”.
In 2019, I spoke at UNGA on how India’s fascist Modi govt used the Balakot crisis for domestic electoral gains. Latest revelations from communication of an Indian journalist, known for his warmongering, reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt & Indian media
Advertisement— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 18, 2021
The WhatsApp chats, apart from showing that Dasgupta and Goswami discussed issues related to television rating points (TRPs), reveal that the Republic TV founder is well-informed about key Central government decisions, even those that are confidential. The Mumbai police are investigating several channels, including Republic TV, for manipulating TRPs.
Discussing the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019, in which 40 soldiers were killed, Goswami tells Dasgupta – who was BARC CEO then – that the attack has helped his channel’s ratings. “This attack we have won like crazy,” he wrote to Dasgupta, in an apparent reference to his channel’s audience share.
In a statement, Goswami tried to hit back at the Pakistani government’s statements. He claimed Pakistan was involved in a “conspiracy” against his channel.
Goswami justified his apparent knowledge of the Balakot airstrike by saying “which Indian did not expect the Indian forces to hit back in a big way after the Pulwama terrorist attack?”
Also read: TRP Scam: WhatsApp Messages Reveal Arnab Goswami’s ‘Collusion’ With Former BARC Chief
Republic TV also ran hashtags such as “RepublicVsPakistan” and the tagline “Republic Fights Imran”.
Goswami also attacked his rival TV channels and some opposition parties in his statement, accusing them of “assisting the Pakistani narrative”.
According to The Hindu, the Ministry of External Affairs did not comment on the Pakistani government’s statements.
