ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said a social media campaign against all those who lost their lives in a recent helicopter crash in the southwest of the country was “horrifying.”
An army aviation helicopter reviewing flood relief operations was reported missing on Monday, with Commander XII Corps, Lt. Gen. Sarfaraz Ali, and five other military personnel onboard. The wreckage of the helicopter was found on Tuesday, and the army confirmed that all six officials had died.
Soon after the incident, a smear campaign began online which targeted these people and the army as an institution.
“The social media campaign belittling & ridiculing the sacrifices of our martyrs was horrifying,” the prime minister said in a Twitter post.
“This is what self-righteous political narratives do: they poison the minds of the youth & weaponise hate speech. Which way are we headed? The moment calls for a deep reflection,” he added.
Last week, the director general of the military’s media wing, ISPR, issued a statement to condemn the social media campaign.
“The regretful social media [campaign] after [the] unfortunate helicopter crash on Aug. 1 has caused deep anguish and distress among shuhada [martyrs’] families and rank and file of the armed forces,” Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar said in a brief statement.
Noting that the entire nation had stood by the army during the difficult time, he added some “insensitive quarters resorted to hurtful & derogatory comments on social media which is unacceptable and highly condemnable.”
Separatist insurgents in Pakistan’s resource-rich Balochistan province had also said they had shot down the military helicopter without providing any evidence to support their claim.
A senior military official dismissed their statement, calling it part of their propaganda campaign. The military said the helicopter had crashed due to bad weather.