Operation Sindoor launched by India after the Pahalgam attack was commented by many Pakistani influential people. One of them was Alishba Khalid. The same Alishba was invited by Malabar Gold and Diamonds as a brand promoter in the inauguration of its new London showroom. This sparked online outrage against the brand. According to reports, this issue is gaining momentum ahead of Dhanteras. Dhanteras, which falls before Diwali, is considered the beginning of the festive season and is the day when people buy gold and silver jewelery in large numbers. As a result, demands for an online boycott of this Kerala-based jewelery brand began to rise. Why public anger erupted against the brand Public anger against the brand erupted in September when it was revealed that Malabar Gold & Diamonds had invited Pakistani Instagram influencer Alishba Khalid, known for mocking India’s Operation Sindoor, to the inauguration of the company’s London showroom. Malabar Gold and Diamonds approached the Bombay High Court last month after facing online criticism over its association with Alishba Khalid. The court then ordered Meta, X, Google and other platforms to remove the content, which the brand said was offensive and damaging to its reputation. The jewelery brand told the court it was being portrayed as “pro-Pakistan”. The controversy, which started in September, is now escalating just ahead of Dhanteras, the festival that sees the highest turnover in gold and silver shops in India. Kareena Kapoor is the brand ambassador In a now-deleted role from the London showroom’s inauguration ceremony, the Pakistani influencer was seen posing for pictures with Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor, the brand’s ambassador. Alishba Khalid criticized India over Operation Sindoor. Now Alishba Khalid has also removed her posts in May criticizing Pakistan and the Indian Army’s actions against terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. What is the connection with the Pakistani influencer who mocked Operation Sindoor? She wrote on Instagram at the time: “I know 60% of my followers are from India, but honestly, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I don’t care about them. I care about my country, my people and being on the right side of history.” Khalid ignored the fact that the purpose of Operation Sindoor was to target only terrorists. The place he described as a mosque was actually the base of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Where terrorist Hafiz Saeed incited people to wage jihad against India. This Kerala man is the owner of Malabar Gold Malabar Gold and Diamonds, owned by Kerala billionaire M. Ahmed, claims to have hired Khalid through British agency JAB Studios before his controversial comments came to light in May. Malabar says it had no knowledge of his anti-India views and has since severed ties. However, after seeing the recent collaboration at the London showroom launch, people on social media accused the brand of insensitivity, leading to calls for a boycott of Malabar Gold. Malabar Gold & Diamonds, which operates in 14 countries, is expected to post annual global revenue of $7.5 billion by 2025 and is the world’s fifth-largest jewelry retailer, according to the company’s website. It operates in 14 countries including India, UAE, US, UK and Canada. The new boycott call against Malabar Gold & Diamonds appears to have come ahead of Dhanteras, a festival when Indians and non-resident Indians flock to jewelery shops to buy gold and silver for prosperity.
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