'You're Like Us': How Pak Influencers are Showing Solidarity With Indian Youth
"These are just kids who want better for their own country," Pakistani influencer Bilal Hassan said on Instagram.
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"I know hate has been spread between us, but we (Pakistanis) understand every sign, every poster, every inside joke from the protest...we see ourselves in this. After all we are children of a divorce," Bilal Hassan, a Pakistani influencer said in an emotional video on his Instagram page '@mystapaki', expressing support for the students' protest in India.
"These are kids. They are so brave. They are just protesting for their country to have a better tomorrow. There's something beautiful about that," he added.
Hassan, who has nearly three lakh followers on Instagram, is one among several Pakistani social media influencers to have put out videos of solidarity with the student protesters in Delhi.
Solidarity from Pakistan
"Aapke darmiyaan aapke amma-abba hain jo aapko bohat pyaar karte hain. Soch samajh kar risk lena. Aaapas mey united rehna. Bik mat jaana (Your parents love you very much. Think before you take risks. Stay united. Don't get sold out)," Hassan said in his parting message to the Indian students.
A number of Indian celebrities replied to Hassan's post.
Actor Soni Razdan wrote, "Your words reach the heart in ways that only a child from these divorced parents can understand. Thank you on behalf of our children. Much love back to yours."
Actor Deepti Naval, comedian Sundeep Sharma, screewriter Dhruv Sehgal and activist Ripu Damaan Bevli all replied thanking Hassan.
Another Pakistani influencer Mahwash Ajaz put out a video message giving her take on the students' protest in India.
"It is so heartening to see so many people in India come for these protests purely with the aim of improving their country's future," she said, adding "The most moving stories are those of people are from impoverished backgrounds and are yet protesting".
However, she said that the only negative aspect she noticed compared to Pakistan was the silence of celebrities. "Here most celebrities speak out when something wrong happens. In India, very few of them have come out in support, which is disappointing".
Another influencer Ahsan Mirza's message of support to Indian students has close to nine million views on Instagram. He said "Students must always support students. We are the same. Our ancestors ate the same roti and fought the same British". However, he warned the protesters, "If things escalate beyond lathis then don't put your lives at risk. Don't try to become Bhagat Singh. You all have families to take care of".
Many Pakistani influencers have also put out humorous videos on the lines of "The only thing stopping me from going to Jantar Mantar is the border" or "Trying to go to Jantar Mantar with my Pakistani passport".