1 week ago
BJP Pakistani Song Video Sparks Nationalism Hypocrisy Row
The BJP made a short video showing a large infrastructure project.
It used a song called “Safar” by Bayaan, a band from Pakistan.
Many people criticized this choice because Indian authorities had recently pushed platforms to remove Pakistani music.
They said the party was applying one rule to others but using Pakistani music when convenient.
Some people in Pakistan also questioned why the BJP did not use an Indian song.
Others joked that the music was too popular to resist.
The article says the video was meant to promote the Mumbai-Pune missing link.
The disagreement reflects continuing political tensions between India and Pakistan.
It also notes that Pakistan has restricted some Indian cultural content.
The BJP used Bayaan’s Pakistani song “Safar” in a nine-second video promoting the Mumbai-Pune missing link.
The video received 1.2 million views on X but triggered criticism from Indian and Pakistani users.
Critics called the post hypocritical because India had advised platforms to remove Pakistani-origin content over national-security concerns.
“Safar,” released in 2024, has reportedly surpassed 34.7 million Spotify streams and about 294,000 daily streams.
The controversy comes amid broader restrictions and disputes over Indian-Pakistani cultural content, including action involving Geo News in Pakistan.
- Who
- The Bharatiya Janata Party, along with critics in India and Pakistan, including members of the Indian National Congress.
- What
- The BJP used Bayaan’s Pakistani song “Safar” in a social-media video promoting the Mumbai-Pune missing link.
- Where
- The video circulated on X and featured the Mumbai-Pune missing link; Bayaan is from Lahore, Pakistan.
- When
- The article does not give the video’s exact date; it refers to an Indian advisory issued after the 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack and a Pakistani regulatory action in April 2026.
- Why
- The song was used in a promotional video intended to present the infrastructure project as a major achievement.
Critics of the BJP post
Promotional context and broader restrictions
Use of Pakistani music
Critics of the BJP post
Critics in India and Pakistan said the BJP’s use of “Safar” was hypocritical because the party and Indian authorities have promoted restrictions on Pakistani music and artists.
Promotional context and broader restrictions
The article says the song appeared in a nine-second promotional reel for the Mumbai-Pune missing link, but it does not report a specific BJP explanation for selecting it.
National-security restrictions
Critics of the BJP post
Critics argued that using a Pakistani song undermined arguments for banning or removing Pakistani cultural content on nationalist or security grounds.
Promotional context and broader restrictions
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Pakistani-origin content could affect India’s sovereignty, integrity or public order; Pakistan has also enforced restrictions on Indian content, according to the article.
Key facts
- Video platform
- X
- Reported views
- 1.2 million
- Song
- “Safar” by Bayaan
- Song popularity
- More than 34.7 million Spotify streams and roughly 294,000 daily streams, according to the article
- Indian advisory
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting instructed digital platforms to remove Pakistani-origin content, citing national-security concerns
- Related cultural edits
- Spotify India and YouTube Music removed or altered some Pakistani music and film promotional imagery
- Pakistani regulatory action
- PEMRA issued a show-cause notice to Geo News over Indian songs and film clips used in coverage of Asha Bhosle’s death
Quotes
Lavanya Ballal Jain
Chairperson of the Karnataka State Seed and Organic Certification Agency and Congress figure
“Imagine banning Pakistani artists and Pakistani music in the name of nationalism, only to use a Pakistani song when it suits you. The hypocrisy is louder than the music.”
theprint.in
“Selling an anti-Pakistan narrative to Indian people since last 20 years and then using Pakistani songs on social media posts, is such an audacious thing”
theprint.in
Sources
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