After threatening to lead a protest rally to the Line of Control to protest India’s decision to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad held a rally in which he says he’s willing to use the sword for them.
In a video that has gone viral, Miandad is seen leading a group of people while holding a sword. In the video he says, “Kashmir bhaiyo fikar mat karo hum aapke saath hai. Mere paas balla bhi hai, pehle chakka maara tha, ab yeh bhi hai (Kashmiri brothers don’t worry. We are with you. Earlier I used a bat to hit a six, now I can use this sword).”
To that, someone from the crowd shouts, “Balla bhi tez tha ab talwar bhi tez hai. (The bat was sharp, now the sword is sharp).” Miandad responds, “Jab main balle se chakka maar sakta hoon tu iss se insaan kyu nahin maar sakta. (if I can hit a sixer with a bat, can’t I kill a man with a sword)”
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after New Delhi on August 5 revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.
Miandad isn’t the only member of the Pakistan cricket fraternity to have spoken on the issue. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has tweeted quite a few times with the hashtag #KashmirStillUnderCurfew and has a pinned tweet which says, “Let’s respond to PM call for Kashmir Hour as a nation. I will be at Mazar e Quaid at 12 pm on Friday. Join me to express solidarity with our Kashmiri brethren. On 6 Sep I will visit home of a Shaheed. I will soon be visiting LOC (sic).”
Reacting to India’s move on Kashmir, Pakistan has downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner. With concerns being raised over the Kashmir issue in international community, India has said that the scrapping of Article 370 is an internal matter.
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