Tensions between India and Pakistan took a disturbing turn when members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, vandalised the Karachi Bakery in Hyderabad on Saturday. The attack targeted the bakery’s name, as BJP workers, wearing saffron shawls, raised anti-Pakistan slogans and destroyed parts of the bakery’s signage.
The incident, which took place in the Shamshabad area, saw the assailants stomping on Pakistani flags and using sticks to strike the bakery’s sign. The workers appeared to be angered by the word ‘Karachi,’ linked to Pakistan, and attacked the establishment in a symbolic protest amid the ongoing diplomatic strain between the two countries.
This altercation came in the wake of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, which were triggered by an attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The attack left 26 people dead, and India, without providing evidence, alleged cross-border involvement, which Pakistan firmly denied. Pakistan called for an independent investigation, but in the days that followed, both countries exchanged missile strikes, escalating the conflict.
The confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours lasted for several days before US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire, announcing that both India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire.”
Following the vandalism, a police official, K Balaraju, confirmed that BJP workers had gathered outside the Karachi Bakery, protesting the name. The workers, who appeared around 3 p.m., were detained by police but released shortly afterward after the bakery owner chose not to file charges.
This incident has raised concerns about the growing nationalism and the political climate in India, where tensions with Pakistan continue to fuel unrest at various levels. The disruption at Karachi Bakery reflects broader social and political divisions that have surfaced during this period of heightened geopolitical tension.
