India wins… let the party begin
India yet again beats Pakistan…
These are expressions every Indian is used to hearing when India beats Pakistan in a cricket match.
An India-Pakistan match goes beyond sports. It is a cricket rivalry that traces its roots to the volatile Partition history between the two countries.
That’s why an India-Pakistan face-off is in a different league. When these two countries face each other on the pitch, emotions run high. No matter how much any sportsperson or a cricket fan says it’s just another match, ‘it isn’t’.
And, with Pakistan having a terrible time on the world geo-political stage, the country uses every opportunity to oversell its predatory and insecure mindset, with Jammu and Kashmir, of course, being the backdrop. Because let’s face it, it’s the fuel that has been running Pakistan for decades.
The last seven years under the current dispensation in India has ensured that Pakistan is isolated on the global stage. Pakistan, a world cup winner in the past, is facing isolation in cricket too, with countries not willing to tour the nation owing to safety concerns. New Zealand and England recently cancelled their Pakistan tours.
In the T20 cricket world cup, Pakistan has a lot at stake.
In a recent match between India and Pakistan in the ongoing T20 cricket world cup, Pakistan beat India for the first time in a world cup encounter and they did defeat us in an emphatic fashion, they turned out to be the better team that day.
What followed were celebrations across Pakistan for this was the moment everyone in the country was waiting for.
A jinx was broken and for the first time, television sales took a hit in Pakistan after an India-Pakistan match as none of the TVs were broken, instead tears of joy took over!
As a sports presenter and a sports fan these are lovely scenes and should be appreciated. But the scenes that couldn’t and shouldn’t be appreciated were those playing out in Kashmir and a few places around the country.
In a couple of videos that went viral, medical students in Srinagar were seen singing Pakistan’s national anthem, chanting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘Islam Zindabad’ to celebrate Pakistan cricket team’s win. Anti-India sloganeering on Indian soil, in colleges that are funded by the Indian government and the Indian taxpayer.
The capital of the country witnessed bursting of fire crackers to celebrate Pakistan’s win. How ironic that citizens of Delhi aren’t allowed to burst crackers on the festival of Diwali but one can burst crackers to celebrate Pakistan’s win.
Pakistan, a rogue nation, has been funding terror against India for decades, resulting in the death of many civilians and defence personnel. It is a nation we have been at war with since 1947.
The anti-India sloganeering, the singing of Pakistani national anthem, or chants of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ were not an effort to celebrate Pakistan’s win. It was a message to India: ‘We will do this … what can you do about it?’
Students have been booked under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Unfortunately, there are people in this country who are objecting to the actions taken by India. The regular culprits are saying, ‘What’s the harm in cheering for Pakistan?’
These are the same individuals who objected to Jai Sri Ram chants in West Bengal but are now okay with Pakistan being celebrated on Indian soil.
However, for me, these students are no different from the stone pelters in Kashmir. Just because they don’t resort to violence doesn’t mean that they are not spreading venom or polluting the minds of others. Taking strict action against them is imperative.
And the ones who in the garb of freedom of speech and democracy are again defending anti-national activities should not be given any encouragement.
This time around, an example needs to be set so that never again do we witness such scenes in our country.
Sports is a great teacher, most importantly a great unifier. Unfortunately, sports can also be used as a soft tool to sell propaganda.
But as Sunny Deol puts it in his blockbuster movie Gadar, ‘Hindustan zindabad tha, hai aur rahega’.
Karan Ambardar is a well-known commentator and a sports anchor based in New Delhi. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment