SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): Several Kashmiri politicians have come in support of a Kashmiri cricketer who displayed the Palestine flag on his helmet during a tournament in Jammu, asserting that there is nothing wrong in talking about the situation in Palestine.
According to media reports, Indian police launched a preliminary inquiry on Friday after photos and videos surfaced online showing Furqan Ul Haq, a cricketer from Pulwama district, wearing a helmet with the Palestine flag on it during a private tournament match held in Jammu.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti swiftly reacted, posting the Palestinian flag on her social media account and expressing her strong backing for the Palestinian cause.
“Palestine will be free”
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. A flag in the wind, bold and free, from the river to the sea,” she wrote in her post on X.
When asked to comment on the issue, PDP leader Iltija Mufti, speaking to reporters in Srinagar, said, “We are summoned on everything. Do we not have the freedom to speak freely? If we speak about Palestine, what is wrong with that? You see London, Europe or America, protests take place there against how people are slaughtered in Gaza, and an entire generation is being wiped out.”
To a question about the BJP reportedly stating that it will not allow Hamas ideology to prevail in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Iltija Mufti said the BJP will not be allowed to run its Hindutva ideology in the territory.
Another Kashmiri politician, Salman Niazi, also criticized the inquiry against Furqan. He questioned why the cricketer was targeted for showing solidarity with Palestine, noting, “India officially supports Palestine at the UN.
Then why was [IIOJK] cricketer Furqan questioned for displaying the Palestinian flag on his helmet in solidarity? There is no harm in showing solidarity.”
