Three suspended Kashmiri students address the media in Srinagar. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Students can be volatile for many reasons, sport rivalries being just one of them. Where there is a long-standing basket of disputes underpinning the rivalry as with India and Pakistan, it must be expected that there will be incidents such as this from time to time, but both the universities concerned and the Indian government itself have been unduly heavy-handed. Even the consideration of the laying of charges of sedition — which is close to treason on the scale of possible charges that can be laid in respect of anti-state actions — is wholly unjustified. Fires have been fanned rather than dampened and given that the collective memory of incidents such as this rarely ever fades, this will have done nothing to advance the always sputtering peace processes being pursued by our government. Whilst we may be critical of some aspects of the performance of the Sharif government, it has from the outset pursued a peaceful agenda with India. India has not always been as positive in its responses as might have been hoped for, and the last thing both countries need is a spat over a cricket match being elevated to the status of diplomatic incident. Let cool heads prevail in India and dial back on the rhetoric.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (5)
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I can see that the tolerance level is still very high in India since they are still alive and well, As a Pakistani, I can just imagine if they were Pakistani Hindu students cheering India.
@author/editor, no point in discussing peace with pakistan were there is absolutely no benefit for india in any sphere. India will be perinially under the shadow of terror, as pakistani attitude is perinially anti-india. Even you are saying india should accomudate even after mumbai, impossible of you pakistanis.
Agreed. Team loyalty is relative. In an India vs Pakistan match, Indians naturally support Indian team. In a Pakistan vs say Australia or any other country. Indians might support Pakistani team deep in their heart eventhough Indians might not show it outwardly. I am pretty much sure the same situation exists in Pakistani side. Personally speaking I can relate to a Pakistani more than I can relate to a Chinese or a Korean.
@Editor: 60 yrs of terrorism in India and 4 inflicted wars. Please enlighten me how our response to you will be positive when your actions throughout the history has been nothing less then deceptions. Under Vajpayee leadership we did responded positively and it was the same Sharif back then whom Indian PM came to visit by bus to Pakistan. We all know very well what followed. It is frustrating and shocking lest surprising to see that even a literate class of people like yourself tends to have selective memory of history and more selective perception on events of things happening in world and especially India. Role of media is very high in society, you can either poison the minds of millions or give them rational thinking. I do not agree to UP Universities action against Kashmiri kids, but show me a single nation where you do not face repercussions for saying anything bad against it. If these students just cheered for Pakistan I am sure things would have been bit different and not blow out in such proportion. Please be fair in your articles and hopefully you will be fair to publish my comment.