SRINAGAR: Much to the embarrassment of Indian army officials, members of a cricket team and spectators raised Pakistani flag and shouted pro-Pakistan and pro-freedom slogans during the concluding ceremony of a tournament organized by the army in Badgam town.
Some senior officials of the Indian police and army and pro-India National Conference leader, Agha Ruhullah, who is also member of the so-called Kashmir Assembly from Badgam, were present on the occasion, according to a Kashmir Media Service report.
The tournament titled ‘Kashmir Primer League’ was organized by the Indian Army’s 53 Rashtriya Rifles in Badgam town. The final match of the tournament was played between Badgam and Ompora teams. Ompora team emerged victorious while the Budgam team finished as runners-up.
A 17-second video, widely circulated on social media, shows that the players and the spectators raised slogans in favour of Pakistan and freedom when the award ceremony was going on at the end of the final match.
Earlier, former Indian skipper and honorary Lt Col Mahendra Singh Dhoni was given a rousing welcome in occupied Kashmir with slogans in favor of former Pakistan captain Shahid Khan Afridi rather than Dhoni himself.
The 36-year-old was chief guest at the final match of Chinar Cricket Primer League organised by Indian Army at Kunzar in Baramulla district of north Kashmir. As soon as he arrived at the ground the Kashmiri spectators roared with slogans of “Boom Boom, Afridi”, “Musa, Musa, Zakir Musa (Hizbul Mujahideen commander)” and “We want freedom.”
More than 60,000 innocent civilians have been killed since a rebellion erupted in 1989 in Kashmir.
The killing of freedom fighter Burhan Wani on July 8 in 2016 sparked fresh protests against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority valley of Kashmir. Since then, Indian military forces have injured thousands of Kashmiris with pellet guns leaving hundreds of them blind. NNI
