Kashmiri cricketers detained at Ganderbal police station for singing Pakistan national anthem

Visual of the Kashmiri cricketers listening to the Pakistani national anthem.

New Delhi: Police detained a group of Kashmiri cricketers on Wednesday after visuals surfaced on social media showing them in Pakistani team’s jersey and the country’s national anthem being playing in the background. The cricketers were detained for questioning at Ganderbal Police station. Some locals are demanding the release of the 11 players, who reportedly represent a cricket club from the Kalmul area in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal. According to Kashmir Media Service, a news portal from Pakistan, the match was played on April 2, when PM Modi was in the state to inaugurate Chenani-Nashri tunnel. The match was played at Wayil playfield in Ganderbal. The viral video shows a speaker making an announcement that Pakistan’s national anthem will be played ahead of the match. One team was wearing white uniform while the other team donned the green Pakistani uniform. The incident comes just a few days before Srinagar's Parliamentary by-polls. The polling in the constituency will be held on April 9.