A recent visit by Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to occupied Jammu and Kashmir has inadvertently exposed the deep-rooted love for Pakistan and resentment among Kashmiris towards Indian rule.
In an article published in the Jammu-based Kashmir Times, Kashmiri author and former BBC editor Nayeema Ahmad Mahjoor argues that Tendulkar’s visit, while ostensibly private, was widely perceived as political by his fans in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. She cites Tendulkar’s visit to various government institutions, the Line of Control, and chosen individuals as evidence.
Mahjoor quotes Riyaz Lone, a resident of Gulmarg, as saying that while he respects Virat Kohli as a great player, “Lala Afridi [Pakistani player], a sea of people will come to see him, and maybe the government will have to implement a curfew.”
“If such a day ever comes that Pakistan’s players are allowed to go to Kashmir, hundreds of lives may be lost due to the stampede,” Lone adds. “Pakistan’s players live in our hearts and that Imran Khan, Lala Afridi, and Babar Azam are our all-time heroes.”
Mahjoor also quotes Ghulam Rasool, a businessman from Islamabad, as saying that Tendulkar’s visit to the Line of Control was “perhaps among the priorities to display the Akhand Bharat map in front of the Aman Setu Bridge.”
The article concludes by quoting an unnamed Kashmiri journalist as saying that Tendulkar’s visit “was not a simple family holiday; it was more than that.”—KMS
