SRINAGAR – Not everyone in India is hoping for a victory over Pakistan in the cricket World Cup semi final. In Indian held Kashmir (IHK), allegiance to the rival team reflects bitter feelings in the turbulent region.
In the highly militarised Indian part, anger over New Delhi’s rule runs deep. An independence movement has raged for the last two decades and the past three summers have seen huge street demonstrations. From Internet networking sites to social gatherings, most Kashmiris acknowledge their support for Pakistan in Wednesday’s semi-final clash with India.
“I am very tense and praying for the victory of Pakistan,” a die-hard fan Mohammad Hafiz, 65, told AFP in Srinagar. “Supporting the Pakistani cricket team is in our genes. It reflects our anger for India,” he said. At the quarter-final stage, Pakistan’s victory over the West Indies was celebrated with fire crackers but India’s win against Australia passed without a murmur.
Indian armed forces, who are constantly on patrol, try to prevent any sign of support for Pakistan, and locals say that hoisting a Pakistan flag would be a life-threatening act. Cricket has been used as a platform for protests against India in the past.
Two one-day internationals were held in Srinagar in the past: against Clive Lloyd’s West Indies in 1983 and Allan Border’s Australia in 1986. The Indian team lost both games and faced hostile crowds at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium. No internationals have been staged there since.
