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The changing Indian Narrative on Danish Siddiqui’s Death
8-14-2021
In a recent Interview with India Today on Aug 11, 2021, Indian journalist asked about Danish Siddiqui’s killing. Suhail replied, “He was embedded with the Afghan forces and we were not informed about him. It is not clear who killed him.”
“Any journalist coming in our area we ask them to coordinate with us, and we will make sure they are not harmed.”
The Indian journalist further said Danish went to a mosque and was identified as an Indian and then killed by the Taliban.
He replied “that is not our policy.”
As per an earlier report published by American magazine Washington Examiner, Siddiqui was not simply killed in a crossfire, but was captured and brutally murdered by the Taliban.
“Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui’s identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him,” the report by Michael Rubin had stated.
Michael Rubin further said: “Local Afghan authorities say that Siddiqui traveled with an Afghan National Army team to the Spin Boldak region to cover fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban to control the lucrative border crossing with Pakistan. When they got to within one-third of a mile of the customs post, a Taliban attack split the team, with the commander and a few men separated from Siddiqui, who remained with three other Afghan troops.”
During this assault, shrapnel hit Siddiqui, and so he and his team went to a local mosque where he received first aid. As word spread, however, that a journalist was in the mosque, the Taliban attacked. The local investigation suggests the Taliban attacked the mosque only because of Siddiqui’s presence there.
Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui’s identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him.
While a widely circulated public photograph shows Siddiqui’s face recognizable, I reviewed other photographs and a video of Siddiqui’s body provided to me by a source in the Indian government that show the Taliban beat Siddiqui around the head and then riddled his body with bullets.
Michael Rubin further made similarities of Taliban and Khmer Rouge.
Michael Rubin is definitely not for peace in Afghanistan. Back in Feb 2020 he wrote and article titled, “Taliban peace deal defined by fatigue and fantasy won’t bring security.” In the article he also has articulated anti Pakistan rant., “Not only can Pakistan act to undermine any dialogue and peace agreement once the U.S. has departed, but Trump, Pompeo, and Khalilzad have essentially rewarded the Pakistani way of asymmetric warfare. It is a lesson rogue regimes and militant groups around the globe will learn.”
Siddiqui’s father Mohammad Akhtar Siddiqui said that he was informed about his son’s death by Reuters.
“The last time I spoke to him was the day before yesterday,” Mohammad Akhtar Siddiqui said. “He didn’t seem to be unsafe and he seemed very confident about his work.”
It is obvious the Indian narrative has been changing how Danish was killed. The source of his “mutilated body” was given to Rubin by Indian Govt.
In An interview with NDTV Suhail questioned the interviewer “he was killed by firing but whose firing?” “It is just used as a malignment against us.” He reminded the reporter that all along he was with the Afghan forces.
As per Rubins account all members of his team were killed after getting treatment in a mosque.”
Reuters reported that Siddiqui had been embedded for the past week with Afghan special forces and that he informed the news agency that he had been wounded in the arm during an earlier clash on Friday. The news agency said it was "unable to independently verify the details of the renewed fighting described by the Afghan military official."
"We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region," Reuters president Michael Friedenberg and editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni said in a statement posted on Twitter.
There are some serious questions that should be asked in these changes in narrative. Why is the narrative changing on how Danish was killed? Why is the Indian Govt. providing the videos of mutilated body to Rubin? As per Reuters he was wounded, why was he asked to go again in another assignment?
The answer may be that Danish as per jantakareportercom, “singlehandedly drew global attention to the mismanagement of this year’s pandemic by the Indian government using his camera this year, was killed in an attack from Taliban fighters in Kandahar on Friday. While Hindutva fanatics shockingly celebrated the journalist’s death because of his Muslim faith, PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar faced condemnation for their ‘petty’ behaviour as both of them refused to express their condolences.”
Danish death was welcomed in right wing India. Feminisminindia.com states, “So vicious were some of the right-wing trolls, that the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted to condemn the obnoxious celebration that followed his death.”
Danish death does not benefit the Taliban and neither are they celebrating his death. It is clear that Danish was on a hit list and those who are celebrating his death needs to be asked, why?
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