A clip featuring a Kashmiri cricket club wearing Pakistani cricket team’s uniform is doing rounds on the social media. In addition to this, the players featured in the video started the match with Pakistan national anthem.
The cricket match played at the Wayil playfield in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on April 2, coincided with hartal call by separatists against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief visit to the state for the inauguration of Nashri tunnel.
The players of Baba Darya Ud Din team, named after the popular saint whose shrine is situated in Ganderbal, were wearing the iconic green uniforms while the opponent team was in white.
But ahead of the commencement of the match, the commentator formally announced on the public address system that Pakistani national anthem would be played as a “mark of respect.” Interestingly the playfield lies next to police station in the area.
InUth team contacted the teams to know more about this unusual development while the players were cool in their replies. “We wanted our team to look different and also wanted to show fellow Kashmiris that we haven’t forgotten Kashmir issue, so we found this particular theme as most appropriate and catchy,” the players informed.
Some of the players say they were initially apprehensive of wearing “controversial” uniform. “But as others had no apprehensions and cleared our doubts, we too joined them with all zeal.”
But then aren’t these guys afraid of being caught for starting a cricket match with the controversial Pakistani anthem? “Why should we be scared when Kashmir is a disputed territory and Allah is with us? We have not harmed anyone but just played cricket the way we wanted to with all the creativity and relevance to our homeland,” they said fearlessly.
Earlier this year, a melodious version of Pakistan’s national anthem sung by two budding Kashmiri musicians with traditional instruments had gone viral on social media in the Valley.
The latest cricketing event is equally breaking the internet. Viewers are the Pakistani-tadka to match is amazing. “Watching this match gives us feel of freedom!”
