Kashmir cricketers arrested for donning Pakistan colours

Published April 7, 2017
A grab from the video clip shows players listening to Pakistan’s national anthem just before  the match.
A grab from the video clip shows players listening to Pakistan’s national anthem just before the match.

KARACHI: A group of youths of India-held Kashmir were detained on Wednesday after a video clip went viral on social media which showed them playing a cricket match wearing the green uniform of Pakistan’s national team, sources said.

The clip went viral after the Kashmir Media Service uploaded it along with a news report on its website.

Ghulam Hassan Bhat, the deputy inspector general of police for Central Kashmir, said the cricketers had been detained for questioning. “The boys are in the police station.”

Examine: Is pro-Pakistan sentiment in Kashmir still alive?

Security was beefed up as residents gathered near the police station, demanding immediate release of the 11 players, who reportedly represent a cricket club in the Kalmul area of held Kashmir’s Ganderbal region.

The video clip shows a scenic location surrounded by mountains, which the portal identified as Wayil playground in Ganderbal.

Sources said the video was from a match played between two teams, one representing Pakistan and the other India.

“National anthems of both countries were played, like in any international match,” clarified a Ganderbal resident who didn’t wish to be named.

The sources said the match was played on April 2, the day Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the disputed Himalayan region.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2017

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