Pakistan citizens mock themselves after India action following Pahalgam terror attack

As the Pakistani leadership sweats over India’s next move and its host of punitive actions after the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistanis wasted no time trolling themselves by launching a flood of memes that flowed faster than the Indus. From water shortages to a complete blackout, Pakistanis imagined a host of repercussions they might have to face due to India’s measures.

In a raft of swift measures after 26 tourists were gunned down in the resort town of Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India announced a suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, suspension of visas, and a downgrading of diplomatic relations.

While not immediate, the decision to turn off the Indus tap may have wide ramifications on Pakistan’s agriculture and energy sectors. This is so because the Indus rivers, Pakistan’s lifeline, provides water for 80% of its agricultural land. Around a third of its hydropower also depends on the Indus basin’s water.

However, it seems that instead of losing sleep over the outcome, the response of Pakistani citizens has been memes and sarcasm to troll the country.

While one user posted a meme indicating that Pakistanis would now have to ask India for water even for bathing, another said India shouldn’t attack it as the government had to repay debts to several nations.

“We have to pay the debt of half the world, so no one from India should be allowed to attack us. Everyone go to sleep,” an X user, @ChilliButter, posted.

Another humourously added, “Pakistani sarkaar (government) wants India to capture Pakistan so that they don’t have to worry to spend money on people and ask for loan waivers from the world.”

Another user took a sarcastic jibe at the frequent blackouts in Karachi. “BREAKING: Complete blackout in Karachi after a loud noise, is it beginning… sorry transformer urr gaya humaray mohallay ka (sorry the transformer in our neighbourhood exploded),” he tweeted. Another seconded him, “Ye toh Karachi mai roz ka hai (This is a daily occurrence in Karachi).”

Power outages have become a chronic pain for Pakistanis, with the country facing an electricity crisis for the last many years.

Apart from electricity, it seems Pakistan is also reeling from erratic gas supply issues. “Jung karni ho toh 9 baaje se pehle kar lena. 9.15 se gas chali jati hai (If you want to go to war, then please do it before 9 as my gas supply goes from 9.15),” a user called ‘akrama’ tweeted.

“Inko pata lagna chahiye kis gareeb qaum se larayi kar rahe hai (They should know which poor country they are fighting against),” he further said.

Another chipped in, “Security issues ke wajah se Pakistan-India Jung (war) should be held in Dubai.”