India & Pakistan Fuel Trending Hashtags, Some Call For Peace

Wing Commander Abhinandan and #SayNoToWar trend on Twitter in both India and Pakistan.

Twitter was flooded with tweets about the MiG crash at the Indo-Pak border on 27 February 2019.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

An IAF chopper crashed near the Garend Kalaan village in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam area, leaving at least two dead, news agencies reported on Wednesday, 27 February.

Shortly after the crash, Pakistan Armed Forces Chairperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said that the Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian aircraft inside Pakistani airspace, with one of them falling inside the Indian territory.

In a joint press briefing on Wednesday, 27 February, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Air Force said that India lost one MiG-21 and shot down a Pakistan fighter aircraft. The ministry confirmed that one IAF pilot was missing in action. Wing Commander Abhinandan was reported missing after the crash, and it is still being ascertained if Pakistan’s claims that he is in their custody are true.

The death toll in the IAF helicopter crash rose to seven as more bodies were recovered from the site.

Almost all trending hashtags were about the crash with #SayNoToWar topping the list.(Photo Courtesy: Twitter screenshot)

After the crash, Twitter flooded with hashtags pertaining to the tension between the two nations and the escalating conditions that may be a cause of concern for national security.

The top trends in India read #SayNoToWar, #PakFakeClaim, #BalakotAirStrike, Wing Commander Abhinandan and Geneva Convention among others.

This ‘attack’ came after an air strike was reported in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir that reportedly took out several Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camps.

#SayNoToWar: The Common Sentiment

The call for saying ‘No to war’ had voices from both sides of the border with the hashtag trending in both the countries.

Some Indian twitter users were also using the #PakFakeClaim, saying that the claims about the ‘attack’ by Pakistan army are false.

#Abhinandan: Twitterati Wish for Wing Commander’s Return

Wing Commander Abhinandan who went Missing-in-Action (MIA) post the crash, took over as the top trend on Indian Twitter with people wishing for his safe return. Twitterati were also discussing about Geneva Convention, which allows for the safe return of the pilot as per international laws.

#BringBackAbhinandan also started trending soon after, with people urging the government to bring the soldier back.

What is the Geneva convention?

The Geneva Convention was a series of international diplomatic meetings that produced a number of agreements, in particular the Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflicts, a group of international laws for the humane treatment of wounded or captured military personnel, medical personnel and non-military civilians during war or armed conflicts.

Pakistanis Hail Their Army

Many people from Pakistan also commended the ‘attack’ on IAF’s fighter jets. Hashtags like #PakistanStrikesBack, #PakistanArmyZindabad, #PakistanAirForceOurPride and #Josh trended in Pakistan with people applauding the 'fightback'.

"Wing Commander Abhinandan" trended in both the countries.

All trends in both the countries pertained to the Budgam crash. (Photo: Twitter Screenshot)

Some also termed it as a rightful diplomatic move in retaliation to the air strike in Balakot that reportedly took out many Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

With the tension rising between the two countries, some people on social media are also trying to call for war. In a sensitive time like this, it is up to the social media users to exercise discretion and not believe anything and everything that they come across.