Indian news channel Republic TV, notorious for its high-decibel debates, saw pundits from India and Pakistan threaten each other by brandishing a toy missile and arrow during a discussion.
The panelists from India and Pakistan were on the news channel to discuss the Indian Army’s recent operation to foil a suicide car bombing in Kashmir. The panelists were Maninderjeet Singh Bitta, chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front, and Engineer Iftikhar Chaudhry, Deputy Secretary Information for Pakistan’s ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The video snippets from the debate have become a viral sensation on Twitter with netizens calling it a “circus”, and a “cartoon channel”.
Indo-Pak war
— Sandeep Ahlawat (@SandyAhlawat89) May 29, 2020
In times of COVID 19
SO....IT'S NOT
WORK FROM HOME ANYMORE
IT'S CALLED
WAR FROM HOME!!🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/qPAPHdcTjA
These days Porn makes more sense than many mainstream news channel.
— Prasad Deshpande (@copychef1981) May 28, 2020
this is the 15th time i'm watching this, it still cracks me up like shit
— Ankit (@Fundeywala) May 28, 2020
Others called out the TV channel for stooping to a ‘low level of journalism' in a quest for TRP (target rating points) while pointing out the coincidence of both pundits bringing fake weapons to the studio.
Did the panelists bring the weapons on their own or on some special request?
— Arun Bothra (@arunbothra) May 28, 2020
Nation wants to know 😅 pic.twitter.com/C9bz3csHrY
Third rate journalism by @republic .
— MVR (@MarkivOar) May 28, 2020
Taking journalism down to the lowest levels for the sake of TRP.
Only English news channel of worth in India is @WIONews
Future of journalism, sadly though. Makes me feel ashamed as a journalist. More than news it looks like a TV soap. 👎🏽
— SALMAN RAVI (@salmanravi) May 28, 2020
The channel was also trolled for another one of its debates in which its anchor Arnab Goswami blamed Pakistan and Imran Khan for a locust attack in India.
Arnab is blaming Pakistan for locusts in India. Yes, you read that right pic.twitter.com/gCeVAOWmf7
— Parth MN (@parthpunter) May 28, 2020
क्या टिड्डी खाने वाला इमरान खान, अब पूरे पाकिस्तान को बारूद खिलाना चाहता है? देखिए 'पूछता है भारत' अर्नब के साथ रिपब्लिक भारत पर LIVE : https://t.co/G945HvRmSx pic.twitter.com/n2WPfJLOtF
— रिपब्लिक.भारत (@Republic_Bharat) May 28, 2020
