Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has escalated his public feud with the Indian government, asserting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using foreign awards to mask domestic political instability.
Taking to X, Asif pushed back against Indian critics who had targeted his earlier posts questioning the legitimacy of Modi’s international accolades.
“Coming after me doesn’t solve the problem,” Asif wrote on X. “Calling me mentally unstable won’t bring stability to Modi’s pitiably crumbling reputation both at home and abroad specially after beating he got from Pakistan last year.”
Asif pointed out that Indian opposition leaders has also shared their views regarding the authenticity of these state honours. “Rahul Gandhi is saying the same thing about the awards given to Modi, that they are AI-generated or self-managed to project a global statesman image. It has actually enhanced his reputation as a global con man.”
He also pointed to British newspaper The Guardian’s coverage of the matter, “Even The Guardian, a reputable paper, flagged the same issue and questioned the credibility of those awards. Modi’s desperate measures to import fake laurels from abroad are an attempt to stabilise a reputation that is pathetically unstable at home.”
According to the Guardian report, Modi received the Guardian of the Blue Horizon award from Seychelles President Patrick Herminie during a visit over the weekend, complete with trophy and certificate.
The certificate misspelled “republic” as “repubblic” and “Seychelles” as “Seycheeles.” The award had been created three days before Modi’s arrival, with Modi as its first and only recipient and the certificate was flagged as AI-generated when run through software.
The disclosure sparked immediate political friction within India. Congress politician Supriya Shrinate pointed out the errors online, stating, “They were in such a tearing hurry that they even got the official name of the Republic of Seychelles wrong.” The central Congress party added, “Give him [Modi] any award, and he’ll come running.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) countered the opposition, describing the ceremony as a moment of pride for India that recognized Modi’s environmental policies.
Following the backlash, the Seychelles foreign ministry issued a clarification, claiming an unverified working draft was accidentally made public and that a corrected, official version had been substituted. The ministry maintained that the distinction remained valid.
Asif’s initial critique characterized the awards as an engineered push for popularity, drawing a polarized wave of internet commentary.
Asif shared a Guardian report on X, calling it “the most embarrassing story ever.” His post read, “Awards created days before arrival, certificates printed through use of cheap AI model, obvious spelling mistakes, and then @narendramodi becoming first & the only recipient. This engineered ‘recognition’ is either the worst kind of cheap popularity, or the most malicious gratification!! Modi is putting the Indian Nation to shame, he is a national embarrassment.”
Supporters of the Indian Prime Minister targeted Asif’s own political standing.
One user asked, “Did you receive any award for this confession?” Another commentator wrote, “You yourself are fake too. What is real and what is fake, you want to lecture us about that?”
Other nationalist accounts dismissed the controversy by attacking the media source, stating, “The writer of the article is known for her anti Modi and anti Hindu agendas. Check by yourself.”
While another wrote, “You think you’re disrespecting Modi, but you’ve just disrespected the dozens of nations that gave Modi their highest honor. You’re an absolute clown who has negative diplomatic skills.”
Some users defended the minister’s critique by stating that “Modi has a fascination for awards. World leaders know his weaknesses,” labeling it an international embarrassment.
