Free speech is inviolable, and unfortunately I can not restore the deleted thread (it’s been deleted from archives).
The notion that criticism of Pakistan, or of any country, should be off-limits on this platform contradicts everything Brown Pundits stands for. It is always better to err on the side of liberty than against it.
I am weary of the threats and emotional blackmail that appear whenever freedom is exercised. BP will continue to stand, whatever exoduses may come.
The thing is that there has never been absolute free speech on BP. i have been accused of “Hinduphobia” among other things.
According to the same logic, there need to some red lines regarding what is acceptable to say about Pakistan. It cannot be a free for all. The Pakistani military cannot be compared to the Nazis. The Field Marshal cannot be called ‘Failed Marshal’ (this latter is particularly juvenile).
Either there is absolute free speech for everyone–in which case things will be said that will upset the Hindu Right– or the same rules must apply to all sides. It is not OK to wear kid gloves around Hindu sensitivities and then expect Pakistanis to take anti Pakistan rhetoric lying down.
Kabir you are hyper-moderating. Let BB write what he wants on another thread; we agreed you may only moderate your own thread.
You will stifle any discussion and you are constantly raking in the past in what is an evolving discourse.
He was literally celebrating suicide attacks in Pakistan. That crosses so many red lines.
If I had celebrated suicide attacks in India I would have been under “intradiction” or banned. Isn’t that correct? This is a double standard.
And the past is relevant. You cannot protect Indian sensitivities while not caring about Pakistani sensitivities.
In the end it’s your blog. All I can do is protest and refuse to participate in something which has a clear bias.
I have no idea what was written
You’ll have to take my word for it that he was celebrating yesterday’s suicide attack.
As discussed please moderate your threads only; it undermines credibility ..
Sarcasm and mocking of authority is a time-honored exercise of free speech. Especially when the ‘failed marshal’ is busy giving himself immunity and the throne for ‘life’. And yes, the rules ought to be even-handed. I am fine with mockery aimed at the “muudi” or whoever else.
Your personal preferences do not define what is acceptable and what is not. Especially not on threads that you do not “own”. You can choose to continue wrapping yourself in nationalist garb, and choose to decry any and all things that you perceive as “anti-Pakistan”, but unfortunately, the rest of the world is not obligated to share your particular framing, or biases.
Honestly, lets move beyond friction if we can, its just the same boring loop.
Yes Kabir is overreachin. You raise a good point – Failed Marshall is funny ..
But as a corollary Kabir is reacting to the fact that there is a bias in BP. I am freer in allowing anti-Pakistan comments to slip through the net than anti-India simply because I am immersed in the later world.
So even though Failed Marshall is funny – I do understand his point. Kabir isnβt free to use Butcher of Guj without the entire Commentariat descending on him, with my implicit blessing.
So it is important to interrogate his thoughts despite the emotion.
This is a false equivalence “butcher of gujarat” implies direct legal culpability when multiple courts have exonerated Modi. Mind you, I personally still hold him morally responsible. And is far more inflammatory. If I had hypothetically referred to Munir as a ‘terrorist general’ that would be more comparable to this ‘butcher’ line that is popular in Pak RW circles, no?
I … understand your desire and efforts to be even-handed. And I also recognize that ‘we’ as BP could and should, perhaps be slightly extra accommodating of Pakistani perspectives and sensitivities. But while I am all for this, we also do not want to succumb to the bigotry of low expectations. Food for thought.
As an olive branch, I will cease and desist using my version of the ‘FM’ moniker. For now. :):