Pro-Pakistan sentiment is fondness and love of aspects of

Pakistani culture The Culture of Pakistan ( ur, ) is very unique in terms of its social values revolving around the religion of Islam. The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural complex of South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia. Q ...

Pakistani history The history of preceding the country's independence in 1947 is shared with that of Afghanistan, India, and Iran. Spanning the western expanse of the Indian subcontinent and the eastern borderlands of the Iranian plateau, the region of prese ...

Pakistani cuisine Pakistani cuisine ( ur, , romanized: ''pākistānī pakwān'') can be characterized by a blend of various regional cooking traditions from South Asia, Central and Western Asia, as well as elements from its Mughal legacy. The country's va ...

, Pakistani traditions or the

people of Pakistan Pakistanis ( ur, , translit=Pākistānī Qaum, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. According to the 2017 Pakistani national census, the population of Pakistan stood at over 213 million people, making it the w ...

. In the political context, it can refer to having positive sentiments for the Pakistani state. The like or interest of Pakistan is the opposite of Pakophobia, Pakistanophobia or

Anti-Pakistan sentiment Anti-Pakistan sentiment, also known as Pakistan-phobia, Pakophobia or Pakistanophobia, refers to hatred, fear, hostility or irrational fixation toward Pakistan, Pakistanis and Pakistani culture. The opposite is pro-Pakistan sentiment. Worldwid ...

, which is the fear and dislike of things concerning Pakistan.

In Kashmir

During the 2011 ICC World Cup semi-final between Pakistan and India, a ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...

'' article observed that

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

was "shut down" for the clash, children missed their school and that instead of India, some Kashmiri cricket fans showed their support for the

Pakistani cricket team The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International C ...

. On 13 October 1983, during a limited over cricket match between

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium is a cricket stadium located in Srinagar, India. It is home to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, JKCA and Jammu and Kashmir cricket team which represents the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union terr ...

, the crowd cheered India's defeat with ''Pakistan Zindabad'' cries. The slogan, ''

Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad ( ur, , ) is a patriotic slogan used by Pakistanis in displays of Pakistani nationalism. The phrase became popular among the Muslims of British India after the 1933 publication of the "Pakistan Declaration" by Choudhry Rahmat ...

'', has been used by some

Kashmiris Kashmiris are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group speaking the Kashmiri language, living mostly, but not exclusively, in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India.(a) (subscriptio ...

, who support Kashmir's accession to Pakistan, in the

Indian-administered Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. Supporters are also detained by local police for raising such slogans. Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani cites that much of pro-Pakistan sentiment in Kashmir is suppressed, the roots of which lie in the Kashmir conflict. However, he adds that "many in Kashmir continue to express their love for Pakistan overtly", either through supporting the Pakistani cricket team, hoisting Pakistan's flag, setting the Pakistani national anthem as their mobile ringtone or raising pro-Pakistan slogans during public rallies.

Anuradha Bhasin Anuradha Bhasin is an Indian journalist based in the city of Jammu, who is the executive editor of the newspaper ''Kashmir Times''. She was a fellow under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan for the year of 2016, and has published i ...

states that it has to do with a "deep anger against the Indian state and deep-rooted alienation with India’s treatment of Kashmir", while Showkat Hussain states that such pro-Pakistani sentiment is attributable to the "sentiment for secession". Still, other commentators opine that there is also a younger Kashmiri generation that sees their economic future tied to India while not entirely wanting to compromise their aspiration for Kashmiri 'independence', and that this generation includes those who are pro-India or do not support a Kashmiri merger with Pakistan.

Khurram Parvez Khurram Parvez is a Kashmiri human rights activist. He is the Chairperson of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and Program Coordinator of Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). Khurram is a recipient of the 2 ...

is of the view that many Kashmiri youth "openly showcase their love for Pakistan at the cost of paying heavily for their expression", but that at the same time, this sentiment does not necessarily translate to a desire for Kashmir’s outright merger with Pakistan.

References

{{Cultural appreciation Admiration of foreign cultures Pakistani culture Political terminology in Pakistan Pakistani nationalism

In Kashmir

See also

References