Pakistani law professor and author Muneeb Qadir and Indian journalist Arvind Saharan became the latest figures in a cross-border online spat, sparking a viral debate over history, trolling, and interpretation of events like the 1965 India-Pakistan war.
The clash began after an edited clip from their interview circulated online, with critics mocking Qadir for calling himself a “history buff” and questioning his knowledge.
Some even accused him of “googling historical facts” mid-interview. The clip quickly went viral, triggering a storm of reactions from Pakistani netizens.
In response, Qadir released a clarification video, defending his approach and emphasizing that the full context of the interview had been ignored.
He also criticized what he described as attempts to bait him into propaganda, refusing to assign blame to either country for historical conflicts.
“The clip can be interpreted in so many ways,” he said.
He explained that the interview had started as a light, cultural exchange between Pakistan and India, but Saharan asked a leading question: “Who do you think is guilty for the 1965 war?” Qadir refused to assign blame to either country, arguing that territorial disputes are complicated and cannot be simplified into black-and-white narratives.
“I was never going to say Pakistan was at fault,” Qadir said. “Statehood, nationalism, and territoriality are complex. Any sovereign nation attempting to reclaim its territory can adopt measures it deems necessary. The same logic applies globally from Russia in Ukraine to America’s attention on Greenland and Venezuela.”
The online debate intensified when Saharan responded to Qadir’s clarification, challenging him:
“Do you want me to make a video and play your voice notes from before and after the discussion? You were keen to participate and even thanked me for it. What you said is entirely your responsibility.”
Qadir fired back:
“You want me to make screenshots of your messages praising me to the moon to reveal your duplicitous face, you snake?”
Saharan replied: “Please make the screenshots and share them. I’m dying to see them.”