ISLAMABAD, July 6 (Alliance News): Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that what he described as an Indian propaganda campaign against him would not restore the credibility of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the Indian leader was facing growing domestic and international pressure.
Responding to what he termed a misleading campaign on social media platform X, Asif said personal attacks or attempts to portray him as mentally unstable would not resolve the issues facing India.
“Launching personal attacks against me or attempting to label me mentally unstable will not solve India’s problems,” the defence minister wrote.
He further claimed that Modi had been under increasing pressure due to what he described as a decline in the Indian prime minister’s domestic and international standing, particularly following last year’s conflict between Pakistan and India.
“The propaganda campaign against me cannot restore Modi’s damaged credibility,” Asif said.
The defence minister also referred to remarks by Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, claiming that Gandhi had questioned the credibility of several international honours awarded to Modi and alleged that some of the recognitions were either artificially created or part of a publicity campaign.
According to Asif, the purpose of such campaigns was to project Modi as a global statesman, but instead they had damaged his international image.
He also claimed that the British newspaper The Guardian had raised questions regarding the credibility and transparency of some of the honours conferred on the Indian prime minister.
Asif concluded that efforts to secure international recognition through what he described as artificial praise reflected an unsuccessful attempt to compensate for what he called Modi’s declining popularity at home.
