Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan featured in the theme song of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF)—the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)—the Students Federation of India (SFI) alleged on Thursday.
Imran Khan's image appeared among those of iconic leaders of the MSF's parent organisation, and the SFI state unit chief, Sanjeev P.S., demanded that the MSF state leadership clarify their commitment towards a leader who upholds religious nationalism and has constantly threatened India and its secular values. Sanjeev alleged that such actions would simultaneously aid the RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami. The SFI state secretary shared a screen recording of the theme song, along with the image of Khan used in the video, in a social media post.
Attacking MSF state president P.K. Navas, Sanjeev said the video was reluctantly taken down after some members of the cadre raised concerns about using Khan's image in the song, which was released as part of the MSF's upcoming state conference. He claimed it revealed the "true colours" of the MSF leadership, despite their rigorous efforts to mask them. The repercussions of such actions will also affect the secular members of the MSF, the SFI chief alleged.
The SFI is the student wing of the CPI(M), Kerala's principal ruling party, while the IUML is a constituent of the Congress-led UDF opposition alliance.
Meanwhile, some supporters of the MSF claimed that the man in the image was not Imran Khan but the late IUML leader E. Ahamed. After this claim was quickly debunked on social media, others alleged that the SFI leadership was purposefully sharing an edited video to tarnish the MSF. This was countered by Left-wing workers, who challenged the MSF and IUML to take legal action if they were certain the video was a fake. The MSF leadership, including Navas and the IUML, are yet to respond to the allegations.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief Imran Khan, who was a cricketer in his youth, remains imprisoned following his ousting as Prime Minister of Pakistan in April 2022. While Islamabad and the military maintain that these are legitimate legal proceedings, Imran Khan’s supporters and several international observers describe them as "politically motivated".
Translation of P.S. Sanjeev's post:
"It was noticed that the image of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was officially published alongside the images of their past leaders in the theme song of the MSF (Muslim Students Federation) state conference. What connection do P.K. Navas and his group have with a Pakistani leader who promotes theocracy and kills people in the name of religion? What is the MSF's commitment towards him?
Is Imran Khan—who has constantly attacked our country and our secular consciousness, and whose stances have helped the growth of the RSS's extreme nationalism in India—Navas’s hero? While the MSF in Kerala struggles to prove they are secular, they are, through this act, preparing the soil for the growth of the Sangh Parivar mindset. The 'Sanghis' will soon arrive with their 'anti-national' labels. It is understandable if Navas and his group have a commitment to Jamaat-e-Islami and the theocracy it promotes, and it is clear that they are helping the Sangh Parivar. However, even the secular workers within the MSF are becoming victims of this. This act will greatly please both the Sangh Parivar and the Jamaat-e-Islami supporters. But P.K. Navas and his group have ultimately betrayed the secular consciousness of Kerala.
It now appears that P.K. Navas has reluctantly withdrawn this song following criticism from within the MSF. However, Navas’s objective has already been achieved. Some things are like that—no matter how much you try to hide them, they will keep resurfacing."