- Seychelles awards 'Guardian of the Blue Horizon' award to Modi.
- The certificate of recognition misspells “Republic” and “Seychelles.”
- PM Modi 'embarrasses Indian nation': Khawaja Asif.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under fire following a report that claimed that multiple awards and honors he received during his foreign visits were created shortly before his arrival in the respective host countries.
The controversy came to light after Modi received one of Seychelles' “highest” honors during his recent visit to the archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, according to a report by British publication The Guardian.
Seychelles President Patrick Herminie presented the 'Guardian of the Blue Horizon' award to the Indian Prime Minister along with a trophy and certificate, he said.
However, social media users were quick to point out errors in the certificate, including misspellings of “Republic” and “Seychelles.”
According to the publication, the award was established just three days before Modi's visit, making him its first and only recipient.
Adding to the controversy, the certificate was allegedly flagged as AI-generated using multiple detection tools.
The revelations set off a political storm in India, where the opposition Congress Party accused Modi of engaging in personality-driven politics.
“Give it [Modi] any award, and he will apply,” Congress politician Supriya Shrinate wrote in a post on X.
“They were in such a hurry that they even got the official name of the Republic of Seychelles wrong,” he added.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, defended the recognition, saying it was a “proud moment for India.”
The Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs later attributed the incident to an administrative error and said that “the distinction of the Guardian of the Blue Horizon is genuine.”
However, this is not the first time that Modi has become the first and only recipient of an award during a foreign trip.
During his visit to Israel last month, the Israeli parliament created what it claimed to be one of the country's highest honors and awarded it to Modi when he landed. The Indian Prime Minister remains the only beneficiary to date, according to the report.
Last year, Modi became the first foreign head of state to be awarded the Great Nishan Honor of Ethiopia and the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Reacting to the report on the honours, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the “engineered recognition” was “the worst kind of cheap popularity or the most malicious gratification”.
“Awards were created days before arrival, certificates were printed using a cheap AI model, obvious spelling errors and then [Modi] becoming the first and only recipient,” he wrote in a post on X.
According to the defense tsar, Modi was “embarrassing the Indian nation” due to his personality-driven policies.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the awards given to Modi raised serious questions about India's “manufactured prestige” policy.
“When foreign awards are created days before a visit, when certificates contain basic spelling errors, and when the recipient becomes the first and only awardee, the image management strategy becomes an embarrassment,” he wrote in a post on X.
According to Tarar, the ruling BJP has “sold such honors” as proof of India's global recognition, despite pushing hate-driven policies at home.
“While [Modi] collects ceremonial awards abroad, ordinary Indians continue to face serious problems at home,” he said.
