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29 March 2024

India, Pakistan cricket fans unite to post #ProfilesForPeace‬ ahead of Indo-Pak World T20 clash

Published
By Allaam Ousman

After months and days of uncertainty, sports fans are gearing up for a renewal of modern day cricket's greatest rivalry at Eden Gardens on Saturday March 19.

The World Twenty20 Super 10 clash between India and Pakistan is not just another cricket match because of the usual hype surrounding it.

Much of it has to do with the tug-of-war between officials of both countries who keep the simmering tensions alive which makes perfect marketing sense as well.

So after much dilly dallying, security concerns and a change of venue, the countdown has begun for another Indo-Pak showdown.

There won't be any let up in the intensity as the pressure builds up to a crescendo with adrenaline running high not only on the field even before the first ball is delivered but on both sides of the divide.

However, despite the differences there is common bond which unites the people of the Asian sub-continent - their passion for cricket.

Sport is a great leveller and there have been numerous occasions where cricketing diplomacy has taken place between the governments of India and Pakistan.

In a perceived shift from fuelling enmity, cricket fans from India and Pakistan have joined the bandwagon to promote peace through cricket on social media.

When Facebook introduced an option for fans to put up their profile pictures in support of their teams, everyone embraced it wholeheartedly.

But the Indian and Pakistani fans went one step ahead, using their profile pictures as an expression of their desire for peace.

People from Karachi to Lahore and from Kolkata to Amritsar started changing their profile pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and used the hashtag #ProfilesForPeace‬.

The CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg was also animated by this lovefest and updated his status accordingly.

Something pretty interesting is happening in India and Pakistan on Facebook right now. Last week marked the beginning...

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, 16 March 2016

He wrote: "Something pretty interesting is happening in India and Pakistan on Facebook right now.

"Last week marked the beginning of the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 - the biggest cricket tournament of the year. This is the first time the tournament is being hosted by India.

"Fans around the world are going to facebook.com/profilepicframes and using a profile frame to show support for their favorite teams. But fans from India and Pakistan are doing something different. Hundreds of thousands of Indian cricket fans are putting the Pakistani frame around their picture. And Pakistani fans are doing the same thing - showing support for India. They're using the hashtag ‪#‎ProfilesForPeace‬.

"When we designed the profile frames feature, we just wanted to help people show support for their favorite teams or a cause they believe in. But this story shows that the more connected we are, the more we realize that what unites us is more important than what divides us."

Ironically, Pakistan's talismanic allrounder Shahid Afridi has added credence to this campaign despite sparking controversy by expressing his love for Indian fans.

In a press conference in Kolkata on Sunday, Afridi said that Pakistan had always enjoyed playing in India and "have been loved by Indians crowds more than crowds back home in Pakistan."

The comments raised eyebrows as Pakistan's build-up to the tournament has been embroiled in controversy over whether they would be allowed to travel to arch-rivals India.

They agreed to take the trip only after negotiations with India over security arrangements and the shifting of their match against the hosts to Kolkata from Dharamsala.

Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have meant that the two teams have not played any bilateral series for more than three years, and their rivalry is restricted to multi-national tournaments such as the World T20.

The arch-rivals have not played a full series since 2007 and although Pakistan did tour India late in 2012 for a short limited over series that failed to revive the ties fully.

India did not play an agreed series with Pakistan in December last year, citing refusal from New Delhi amidst heightened tensions between the South Asian nuclear rivals.