Kashmiris Are Happy With No T20 World Cup Final Match Between India And Pakistan, Here's Why

As Pakistan and England are all set to clash in the final of the T20 World Cup in Melbourne today, Kashmiris are happy this time as they say they wouldn't get to see India-Pakistan final. That match could have led to multiple issues and have its own consequences.

Indiatimes spoke to people from different walks of life in Kashmir to understand why they are excited about the Pakistan vs England match.

Abdul Rasheed, a shopkeeper in the city centre Lal Chowk said that he is thrilled to watch Sunday¡¯s Pakistan vs England match instead of any other.

¡°For the last many years, we have seen people going mad over the India vs Pakistan match. They fight with each other and later this leads to the violence,¡± he said.

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¡®Take cricket as game only¡¯

Shah Zuhaib, a student of a Srinagar based college said that the cricket match between India-Pakistan is not a match anymore in Kashmir.

¡°This has become a tool for divisive politics to create unrest and chaos among the communities. I would rather watch the Indian team¡¯s match with some other country instead of Pakistan,¡± he said.

Bashir Ahmad, a die-hard fan of Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam and a local of Srinagar told Indiatimes that arch-rivals India and Pakistan match has always been a headache for the Kashmiris.

¡°This match often leads to brawls, verbal arguments and morphed videos of people screaming praises to Pakistan. I am happy that there is no final between India and Pakistan this time, otherwise the situation would have been tough,¡± he said.

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Abrar Ahmad, a local of downtown Srinagar said in the past Kashmiris would celebrate Pakistan's win openly.

¡°They would come out of their homes in the middle of the night and burst fire crackers. Then security agencies would have to crackdown on them. This was a challenging job for the police as well,¡± he said.

¡°We want such incidents to not be repeated. We want to live in peace and take cricket as a game and nothing else,¡± he added.

Various advisories issued

To keep the unrest and protests away, various authorities in J&K have been issuing advisories to keep the environment peaceful in the valley.

In August this year, with the India-Pakistan clash in Asia Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Jammu & Kashmir Student Association (JKSA), a Kashmiri student¡¯s body issued an advisory urging the students hailing from the state and studying at different universities to stay away from any social media posts.

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JKSA national spokesperson Nasir Khuehami asked the students to take it as just another game and stay away from trouble.

¡°We have urged Kashmiri students studying at different universities all over the nation to have their priority set for their education and career for which they have travelled to different parts of the nation from their home state of Jammu and Kashmir,¡± said Khuehami,

¡°They should not get involved in unnecessary debates, discussions or social media chat and should enjoy the game with true sportsmanship,¡± Khuehami had appealed.

Last year in October, Babar Azam led Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets, following which a few students from Kashmir were arrested for uploading pro-Pakistan posts on social media.

¡°Out of three Kashmiri students studying at Agra, who were booked for making objectionable social media posts, only one is continuing his studies for engineering and two have returned home leaving studies in between after being released on bail from Agra District Jail on May 26, 2022,¡± Khuehami had said.

Don¡¯t create indiscipline: NIT Srinagar

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In August this year, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar had asked its students not to watch India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket clash in groups or post anything related to the match on social media platforms.

In a notice issued by the dean of student¡¯s welfare, the institute administration has asked the students to remain in their allotted rooms during the match.

Don¡¯t disturb law and order: Police

Police in Srinagar urged journalists and citizens to refrain from circulating sensational and unverified videos that might disturb law and order during the India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match in August.

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¡°It has been noticed that some journalists have in the past, without verifying from authorities, posted old sensational videos and pictures during and after sporting events between India & its neighbour,¡± said the spokesman.

He requested the media fraternity and citizens to not fall prey to such sensationalism and asked them to verify all such sensitive news, videos, photos that have potential of creating law and order situations from the authorities first.

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