By Vimal Sumbly
Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared the screenshot of a fake tweet from US President Donald Trump, where he is purportedly seen supporting the demand for the restoration of statehood. Tens of thousands of such fake screenshots are generated everyday everywhere. However, the particular screenshot shared by the Chief Minister on his X wall was definitely and deliberately wilful and aimed at conveying a message, whose import was not lost on anyone.
Omar quoted the purported fake X post, with a remark, “if only”. The purported X post read, “Big things happening in Jammu & Kashmir! • I have to give a BIG shoutout to my friend, Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah — what a guy! He's working hard, talking smart, and fighting for Statehood like a lion (without the roar... mostly).
Omar said "Statehood or bust!" - I love that! He's got style, vision, and even got the mountains cheering for him (I asked them, they nodded). Let's bring back Statehood and make J&K GREAT AGAIN! = Believe me, nobody restores better than me... except maybe Omar in J&K!”
Although Omar tried to make it look quite casual that he had shared it from the wide and vast virtual universe, where such fake posts are generated in millions every day, this one was actually neither casual nor for fun, but was deliberately designed. There was no satire in it, but a political purpose so that the Kashmir issue can be highlighted like that.
The ‘post’ hits at the “basic structure” of the Indian stand on Kashmir that it is an internal matter and no foreign interference can be tolerated. Even in the dispute with Pakistan, which continues to occupy a large part of Kashmir, India has been maintaining that it is a bilateral issue and no third party can be involved.
Omar, by posting a “fake” tweet with a profound wish, “if only” has tried to touch the raw nerve on Kashmir. He indeed happens to be a smart leader who knows the proper use of social media messaging. He has used those skills in this particular tweet as well. There was a “profound” message in this post, which was not lost on anyone. Omar, in fact, wanted that message to be conveyed. And it was not right on his part to do it like that. After all, he is the Chief Minister holding a responsible Constitutional position.
The Bharatiya Janata Party reacted along the expected lines criticising the Chief Minister for trying to “internationalise” the Kashmir issue and dragging in the US President into it. The BJP’s reaction is understandable. An overwhelmingly large number of social media users in the times of deepfakes still cannot make out the difference between a real and an artificially generated post or screenshot. Omar has over three million followers on X. Coming from his X handle, common people will take it on face value.
There is all likelihood that the Trump tweet was deliberately designed and was not randomly picked up from the virtual universe. Omar, who can be politically very mischievous at times, must have realised what impact it can have. Omar’s supporters will definitely use it in their constituency in Kashmir that even the “US President has been supporting the restoration of statehood”. Such things sell easily among the followers of any political party and Kashmir is known for buying rumours at a premium and that too of this type.
Also read: Examining Omar Abdullah’s poaching claims against BJP
Omar has been quite aggressively pursuing the demand for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. He is continuously being criticised by his rival Mehbooba Mufti for failing to keep his promise. In fact, in 2020, he had even announced that he will not contest any elections till the statehood was not restored. But he did, both the parliamentary elections as well as the assembly elections. Today he is the Chief Minister while Jammu and Kashmir continues to remain a union territory.
Before putting the fake Trump tweet on his timeline, Omar had also remarked whether he should seek Trump’s support for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir? Obviously, his critics like the BJP linked his “Trump tweet” with that statement. And Omar might not be unhappy about it. He raked up the issue, using modern means and methods of deepfakes and artificial intelligence to create something that did not exist.
There have been many leaders before Omar, who have always tried to blackmail the Central government by doublespeak on Kashmir and even trying to seek international attention. Omar is smart and wise enough not to do it in any uncouth way.
It is not for the first time that someone from the Sheikh family has tried to create a “US interest” in Kashmir. Omar’s grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, then “Prime Minister” of Jammu and Kashmir had met senior US politician Adlai Stevenson in Srinagar in May 1953.
Stevenson had just lost the US Presidential election as a Democratic nominee. Those days the US had shown a lot of interest in Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah was subsequently dismissed in August the same year and jailed as the Government of India suspected him of negotiating with international powers for an “independent Kashmir”.
Omar must be knowing it better that fiddling with the US interests in Kashmir comes at a very heavy price. He must go through the recent history of Kashmir, just three generations back to his grandfather and learn what it means.
Or probably that is the reason Omar tried to do it so subtly to make it look like fun and satire. But it was not like that. Remember, US President Donald Trump has in the past offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve their disputes.
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