The cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan is unlike any in the sport. It’s not uncommon for cricket fans in both countries to come up with disparaging memes to show the opponent down, even for official broadcasters in both countries to engage in an ad war.
But the India-Pakistan game in the ICC World Cup coming in the wake of the recent military hostilities between the south Asian neighbours had the cricket hostilities reaching a whole new level.
After the Indian cricket team comfortably beat arch-rival Pakistan in Manchester on Sunday, India’s newly appointed Home Minister Amit Shah who is the closest aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called the victory “another strike on Pakistan”.
“Another strike on Pakistan by Team India and the result is the same,” Mr Shah tweeted soon after India won the rain-affected match by 89 runs.
Earlier this year, Indian military jets crossed into Pakistan and dropped bombs nearly 60 kilometers inside Pakistani territory the Indian government claimed to have killed “a large number of terrorists” in the airstrike.
However, Pakistan disputed the claim saying bombs dropped by Indian jets hit some trees in a forested area. A day later on February 27, Pakistani jets crossed into the Indian territory and claimed to have carried out retaliatory strikes.
Indian and Pakistani air force jets engaged in a dog fight for the first time in nearly 48 years since the two countries fought a full-blown war in 1971. At least two fighter planes – one apiece – were downed and an Indian pilot was captured by Pakistan.
Mr Shah’s tweet after the cricket match invoked this strike and attracted a sharp response from the Pakistani military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor.
While Mr Shah and Gen Ghafoor faced off on Twitter, many on the social media platform urged them not to “politicise” the sport.
India said its February 26 airstrike was in response to "credible intelligence" that more attacks were imminent on Indian soil after 40 paramilitary personnel were killed in an IED attack in Pulwama in the Indian-administered Kashmir on 14 February.
Proscribed group Jaish-e-Muhammad - formed by Maulana Masood Azhar who was released from an Indian prison in exchange for passengers of hijacked Air India flight IC 814 in December 1999 - is known to live in Pakistan. But Pakistan claimed its soil wasn't being used for any subversive activities in India.
The two south Asian neighbours were locked in a war of words following the Pulwama attack with the Indian PM Narendra Modi warning of extracting "a very heavy price" and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan vowing to retaliate if India attacked, sparking fears of a major escalation that took months to ease.
The nuclear-armed nations have fought three wars over the disputed region of Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947.
