Pak media terms Modi's victory 'emphatic mandate'

Islamabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi winning a second five-year term drew a mixed response from the Pakistani media, with some calling it an "emphatic mandate" based on national security while others terming it a "global trend" of right-wing populists sweeping to victory.

Dawn newspaper in a front page report wrote that Modi won an "emphatic mandate" in the general elections that saw him pitching national security as an "invincible talisman".

"In projecting himself as the choreographer of air raids on Balakot across the border, Mr Modi severely bruised a fractious and unequal Opposition, according to the paper.

It wrote a scathing editorial on the success of Modi, terming it a victory of "communal politics". The paper also noted that India went so far as to escalate tensions by conducting air strikes inside Pakistan in order to whip up nationalist sentiment. "For the world's largest democracy, the writing is on the wall: communal politics in India has triumphed in an age that will define the future of the republic," it wrote.

The News International termed Modi's win as "dramatic" but added that it only was a reflection of a global trend. "His re-election reinforces a global trend of right-wing populists sweeping to victory, from the United States to Brazil and Italy, often after adopting harsh positions on protectionism, immigration and defence," according to the report. However, an analytical article The News International credited Modi for the emphatic victory of the BJP.

"If the BJP and Modi have won this election, they perhaps deserved to win. They put in a great deal of hard work and have had the hunger to win," the article said. He also said that Modi could be responsible for many sins but the Opposition failed to expose his failures. The Nation newspaper in its main story highlighted that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated Modi on his victory. PTI