Voices from across the world are increasingly urging for hard-hitting economic sanctions on Pakistan for its proxy war in Afghanistan, according to a media report.
Many experts and the majority of Afghans believe that Islamabad is behind the Taliban's aggressive advance against the government forces in Afghanistan and that Islamabad has been assisting the terror group on all possible fronts, writes Akhil Ramesh in the US-based The Hill.
Scores of people on social media, including many in Afghanistan have begun a massive anti-Pakistan campaign to protest against Islamabad's meddling in the war-torn country.
On social media, irked Afghans started posting with the hashtag sanction Pakistan which soon started to trend online.
Afghans making the #sanctionPakistan hashtag trend were not just frustrated with the West's dismissive attitude toward their homeland -- evident through the abrupt troop withdrawal -- but also at Pakistan's infallibility in the eyes of Washington. As the hashtag reads, Afghans were advocating for hard-hitting economic sanctions on Pakistan for its proxy war in Afghanistan, the writer Ramesh said.
Over the past four days, social media users have tweeted thousands of posts on Twitter and on other platforms using the hashtag #sanctiononpakistan, intending to draw the international community's attention to accusations of Pakistani support for the Taliban, which Pakistani officials deny, TOLO News reported.
Social media experts believe that the hashtag "sanctiononpakistan" was the top Twitter trend in Afghanistan for many days and was the second most popular trend in Pakistan a few days back. Social media users from European countries and elsewhere also joined the campaign.
Hashtags that are trending include "SanctionPakistan", "Stop Proxy War", and "Stop Supporting" terrorist group.
The Hill opinion piece said that for years experts like former Canadian Minister Chris Alexanderand scholars like Christine Fair and former Pakistan Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani have been sounding the alarm. However, the Pakistani government continues to try and silence them. Most recently, the consul general of Pakistan wrote to the Conservative Party of Canada and the Canadian leader of opposition to take action against Alexander for his tweets on Pakistan's support of the Taliban.
Taking to Twitter, former Canadian minister Chris Alexander tweeted, "#SanctionPakistan isn't just a hashtag trending on Twitter. It reflects the determination of Afghans, Pakistanis & citizens of many other states to live in peace -- free from invasion, proxy war & terrorism."
"Pakistan's forever war against Afghanistan began in the 1970s & has never ended. Disregarding it further only drives more Afghans into a meat grinder of death & destruction. We need bold action now under Chapter VII to stop this remorseless invasion," Chris added calling for sanction on Pakistan.
This social media movement comes amid the sharp escalation in violence across the country and just days after Afghanistan's UN ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, pleaded with members of the UN Security Council to pressure the Taliban to engage in peace talks.
( With inputs from ANI )
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