Sports

Kohli's Pakistani fan arrested for hoisting Indian flag on rooftop

Police also found posters of Indian batsman pasted on walls of Umar Draz’s house

Afp/Sports Desk January 27, 2016

PHOTO: AFP

A Pakistan fan of Indian batsman Virat Kohli was arrested on Tuesday for hoisting an Indian flag on his rooftop in Punjab.

The guy identified as Umar Draz from Okara district of Punjab province, about 200 km from Lahore, was arrested by the police on a complaint as the law enforcement officials raided his home.

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"We raided the house of Umar Draz and seized the Indian flag from his rooftop," said a police official Muhammad Jamil.

Regional Police officer Faisal Rana said Daraz was charged under Pakistan's penal code with acting against Pakistan's sovereignty. He could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine.

"Daraz initially told us that he is a true Pakistani but likes Kohli and never knew that was a crime," Rana told media.

"His act is against our country's sovereignty and is against the ideology of Pakistan."

According to Jamil, the police registered a case under the Maintenance of Public Order and arrested Draz. Police presented him in court on the same day and Draz was remanded into police custody.

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When asked why he had hoisted an Indian tri-colour on top of his home, Draz told the reporters “I am a big fan of Virat Kohli. I support the Indian team because of Kohli. Hoisting of Indian flag on the rooftop of house only shows my love for the Indian cricketer.”

Draz apologised for the act and said he did not know it was a crime. He urged the authorities to pardon him as he was ‘an Indian cricketer's fan and not as spy’.

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Police also found posters of Kohli pasted on the walls of Draz’s house.

The story was reported by NDTV

COMMENTS (48)

Salma | 8 years ago | Reply Sports enthusiasm may not be intermingled with patriotism. Our authorities' crude / immature stance about "what Pakistan’s sovereignty is"!

Babloo | 8 years ago | Reply Let India offer him residency in India and Pakistan offer residency to those Indian Muslims who may raise Pakistan flag. Fair exchange.

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MJA | 8 years ago | Reply And they arrest him for this?? An utter and complete sense of insecurity and paranoia. India is your neighbor, always has been and always will be. Live with it!

Feroz | 8 years ago | Reply Nothing but a reflection of insecurity that has a vice like grip on Pakistan. Treating ordinary citizens as enemies of the State and not the terrorists destroying the country, will come back to haunt one and all.

prem | 8 years ago | Reply and with this deeds Pakistan thinks of friendly relationship with India? Nonsense

Last Word | 8 years ago | Reply One feels sorry for the Kohli's fan who in his enthusiasm broke country's law. However, the court should necessarily see his intention which was not anti-national under any circumstances. He should released with a warning in the best interest of both countries. Pakistani flag has been hoisted several times in India but no one has ever been arrested or prosecuted so far.

Rahul | 8 years ago | Reply @nasser: FYI there are several households in India which raise a Pakistani flag during a Pakistan match. There's a household in front of my house itself so I speak as an eye witness. I wish I could post pictures with this comment but unfortunately I cannot. Anyway they've never been arrested or as much as reprimanded for their actions. They raise Indian flags with equal fervor during Indian independence days and Indian cricket matches.

Tyggar | 8 years ago | Reply @nasser: You have much to learn. Certain Muslim areas in India do hoist Pakistani flags all the time. No one gets arrested for 10 years.

Haris | 8 years ago | Reply Insecurity is in our roots....

nasser | 8 years ago | Reply @Ajay: @amna: Would you say so if a Pakistani flag is raised at an Indian house top? Come on guy shun the hypocrisy and move on. In India raising even a green flag in Muslim festivals is labelled as treason by the RSS and you are defending the Indian flag which was,raised on a Pakistani house.

Ajay | 8 years ago | Reply @Point: A foolish comparison. There is a huge difference between raising another Country's flag for political purpose and that in support of a sporting event. I just don't understand the acute jealousy and hostility in Pakistani minds towards India. Shows a failure mentality.

Gemini | 8 years ago | Reply @Adil: Go visit lyari you will find Argentina, Brazil, France, Portugal and many other flags as well.

Gemini | 8 years ago | Reply First i think this guy should get awarded with medal of honour because of this stupidity. Second for the people who are claiming that this act is ok then please someone ask Indians to do the same and i am damn sure that the guy will be crusified by their own people before police reaches there. And raise Pakistani flag in shiv sena territories and they will definitely gonna kill all of that guys family.

sunny | 8 years ago | Reply 100% Fake news. It's a wish not reality.

Vikram | 8 years ago | Reply For God sake Pakistanis should use common sense and let Umar Draz go home.

brar | 8 years ago | Reply @Arsalan: Read again or ask any one else to translate he was remanded in police custody and now only court can relase him if police approach the court.

Sun Tzu | 8 years ago | Reply Risking 10 years jail for "acting against the sovereignity and the ideology of Pakistan" for being a fan of a guy who hits a ball around with a stick!!! So has all crime been eliminated from Pakistan that the police has nothing else to do??

BlackHat | 8 years ago | Reply @Burhan Khan: No. Saudi Arabia is not an enemy country. Pakistanis are descendants of Arabs (that is only the lucky ones, some have Persian bloodline, rest of the unfortunate ones are of Somali origin) whose speak the enemy's language. They even have the same cuisine as the enemy. Fortunately, change is happening. Clothes and fashion of the ancestor is becoming increasingly cool.

Romm | 8 years ago | Reply Stupid act on the part of punjab police.

Ayan | 8 years ago | Reply @Point: Student were mocking and raging other side deliberately

Ayan | 8 years ago | Reply @Adil: who said so?

Tally | 8 years ago | Reply I can't believe people are defending this. Utterly laughable that this person was arrested. I mean, c'mon. This is stupid. Why can't he do what he wants? It's not a military rule. This is still supposed to be an open country. I think the authorities should focus on more immediate, impactful issues. Like crime, like terror.

Rollin & Trollin | 8 years ago | Reply @Burhan Khan: But a Nazi flag, swastika and all, would get a free pass..

Vham | 8 years ago | Reply @point looks like you have no idea of "very developed spy" . FYI spies work clandestinely. Generally, They don't hoist flag and advertise them selves.

Udaya Bose | 8 years ago | Reply If someone were to 'hoist' a Pakistani flag in India, he would be in trouble. Waving a flag at the stadium is okay.

Babloo | 8 years ago | Reply This is an 'act of war' and against Pakistan's 'supreme national interests'. I hope Mr Sharif will personally look into this matter.

GM | 8 years ago | Reply Just a warning was enough. Even now I am sure he will be let go. But considering the tensions one should be careful.Since Indian flag is the topic here, let me share some news, on what happens if someone waves Pakistani flag in India. August 17, 2015 Reported by Indian Express. "The Jammu and Kashmir police has registered a case against Syeda Aasiya Andrabi, chief of hardline women’s organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), for hoisting Pakistani flags in Kashmir." She was also booked In March, for hoisting the Pakistani flag on the occasion of Pakistan Day (23 March).

Point | 8 years ago | Reply @Malatesh: reminds me of a neighboring country where some students were kicked of university for raising flag of another country.

mirestan | 8 years ago | Reply In Indian occupied Kashmir when they host Pakistani flag . It is a crime and Indian police will beat you up and spend time in jail is guaranteed.. It is not normal that a Pakistani will host indian flag on his house ? Where he purchased Indian flag? This is how Raw operates. Good vigilance punjab police. Get rid of RAW agents.

Syed | 8 years ago | Reply Why arrest the poor boy? Its not a crime. In USA you can see flags of so many countries in different homes. I hope he is released soon.

ShamelessPakistanis | 8 years ago | Reply @Iqbal: It happens the same in the Worlds Biggest Democracy. btw Read more about Allama Iqbal

Malatesh | 8 years ago | Reply @Adil: Go to the other countries during international matches you can see hundreds of flags.

Ivehadit | 8 years ago | Reply I like the fans enthusiasm. More power to people like him

Point | 8 years ago | Reply sorry but extremism is at peak and such people should be scanned thoroughly whether they even are Pakistanis or very well developed spy's.

Adil | 8 years ago | Reply Hoisting any country's flag is against the law, only diplomatic buildings can hoist their respective flags

amna | 8 years ago | Reply i thought it was a 'free' country!

Salim Khan | 8 years ago | Reply Our law agencies have acted over the top. Relax it was just a fans admiration nothing serious. He should never have been arrested. Just warning and reprimand should have been fine.

Prada | 8 years ago | Reply The draw of the ancestral Motherland is irrepressible.

Arsalan | 8 years ago | Reply "Arresting" is a strong and inappropriate word here. There is difference between "arresting" and "taking in custody". He was probably only taken in custody by the police and was interrogated in the police station. He must have been freed after this process of a couple of hours. There is nothing wrong if Police take a person to police station and asks some questions.

Burhan Khan | 8 years ago | Reply How about people waving Saudi Arabian flags in support of Saudi Arabia? Would that be a crime under MPO too?

Tryst | 8 years ago | Reply @Soldier: And reported by ET. Says it all...

Tondoo | 8 years ago | Reply "Police also found posters of Kohli pasted on the walls of Draz’s house." Great investigative work guys - you nailed it!

Soldier | 8 years ago | Reply "The story was reported by NDTV" Says it all.

Liberal | 8 years ago | Reply Silly stuff by the fan. Overreaction by the authorities.

Iqbal | 8 years ago | Reply Welcome to the Democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan where it a norm to criticise other people in neighbouring nations when they hoist flags of other countries but it cannot observe it's own preaching. If this is not hypocrisy then please tell me what is.

SKN | 8 years ago | Reply This shows how sporting the common people of Pakistan are. Sports is above all politics and nationalities.

Ali | 8 years ago | Reply Arresting was a bit extreme. He should have been a warning and the flag removed.

fact is fact | 8 years ago | Reply When ppl flashed MQM flag during 1992 WC, no Australian police arrested them for doing so. Why so hysteria over Pak or Indian flag in both the countries.

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