On Monday, a video went viral which showed former Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit reveal that he had convinced columnist Shobha De to write an article asking for self-determination in Kashmir.
On Monday, a video went viral which showed former Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit reveal that he had convinced columnist Shobha De to write an article asking for self-determination in Kashmir.
In an interview to a Pak blogger, Basit says it was a challenge for him to find an Indian journalist in ‘mainland India’ who write an article in a mainstream newspaper for ‘self-determination of Kashmir’.
He goes on to say that Shobha De’s article was met with such fury that she didn’t step out in public for two months. He also said that India had more freedom of speech, pointing out the debates saying he was very ‘impressed’ by Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari’s speeches.
Shobha De however vehemently rejected the allegations claiming she hadn’t met Basit only once in 2019 at the Jaipur Literature fest where he intruded upon a publishing party.
She called it an attempt to ‘discredit her and India’, pointing out that she had written her article in 2016 before she even met Basit. She also said: “I am a proud and patriotic Indian. I am deeply insulted he would say it about that about a person who has built a career on credibility.”
1. What De said
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Columnist Shobhaa De on Monday rubbished the claims made by former Pakistan envoy to India Abdul Basit that he had influenced her to write the 2016 article where she "advocated plebiscite" in Kashmir in the aftermath of Burhan Wani's death.
Speaking to ANI, De said that the only time she ever met Basit was during the Jaipur Literature Festival in January 2019, when the former envoy attempted to make a conversation at a "publishing party" but was "almost as good as asked to leave".
"The only time I met him, or rather he came and imposed himself and intruded into a small group was in January of this year at the Jaipur lit fest at a publishing party. He came and joined a small group, attempted a conversation, was snubbed and almost as good as asked to leave," said De.
"In those three minutes, yes, he tried to bring in various issues but the only issue that actually chased him away was China. That was the first and last time I ever encountered this man," she added.
In an interview with a Pakistani blogger Farhan Virk, Basit had said that he had managed to influence "prominent" columnist Shobhaa De to write the 2016 article titled "Burhan Wani is dead but he'll live on till we find out what Kashmir really wants".
De called Basit's statement "dangerous, malicious, and unfair to anybody who believes in the truth", adding that she is "deeply insulted and upset that he could dare to say something like that about a person who has built her career on credibility and positive good journalism for over 40 years.
2. Twitter reactions
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Will something happen to Shobha De after this?
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) August 12, 2019
Ans: No pic.twitter.com/smFO2erD7r
Guess many people will not be sleeping tonight, wondering who Abdul Basit will throw under the bus next. #Shobha de not the only one .
— Smita Barooah (@smitabarooah) August 12, 2019
Treachery is a lucrative business.
Shobha De is not the only one.
— Sunanda Vashisht (@sunandavashisht) August 12, 2019
Former Pak High Commissioner disclosing Shobha De's name as an influencer for Pakistan is just the tip of the iceberg
— Monica (@TrulyMonica) August 12, 2019
If you toe Pakistan's narrative, privileges are so many
I was openly offered an all expense paid holiday at one of the top five star suites in Pakistan once
With Shobha De being exposed, it is clear that there are better people than her who have already been hired by Pakistan.
— Pratyasha Rath (@pratyasharath) August 12, 2019
Maybe not individuals, but entities even.
Otherwise makes no sense to reveal an asset. She was probably the dumbest propaganda warrior anyway.
3. Shobha De responds to claims
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#WATCH Columnist Shobhaa De responds to claims by Former Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, that he managed to influence her writings on Kashmir pic.twitter.com/784dub1wBW
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2019
