Indian fashion businesses cash in on Pakistan conflict flare-up, tap surge in nationalism


Hours after New Delhi and Islamabad launched their worst conflict in nearly three decades, Indian businesses cashed in on a surge in nationalism with T-shirts and bags glorifying the military.

After a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, New Delhi launched strikes deep into Pakistanโ€™s territory as part of what it named โ€œOperation Sindoorโ€.

India blamed Pakistan for backing the attackers who killed 26 civilians. Islamabad denied it and called for an independent inquiry.
A ceasefire was reached on May 10 after four days of fighting, but a massive wave of nationalist support for the military operation continues unabated in India.
T-shirts featuring โ€œOperation Sindoorโ€ on display at a store in Ludhiana, India. Businesses have cashed in on the recent flare-up in the India-Pakistan conflict, offering military operation-themed T-shirts and tote bags. Photo: AFP
T-shirts featuring โ€œOperation Sindoorโ€ on display at a store in Ludhiana, India. Businesses have cashed in on the recent flare-up in the India-Pakistan conflict, offering military operation-themed T-shirts and tote bags. Photo: AFP

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiโ€™s Hindu nationalist government used Sindoor, the Hindi word for the red powder which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads, as a sign that it was to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack.

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