SRINAGAR: With tons of fire crackers going up in smoke, Kashmir celebrated the rare Pakistan win over India in the ICC Champions Trophy finals. Pakistan trounced India by a margin of 180 runs. Thousands of youth celebrating on streets in Srinagar and elsewhere.
Fire crackers started disrupting the eerie clam right at the start when India started losing its batting order. These went frantic after India failed to come up to chase the 338 runs challenge.
In Old Srinagar, hundreds of youth had assembled the premises outside Jamia Masjid and were celebrating well before the Iftaar. They had prayers there amid slogans and fire crackers, witnesses said. Police stayed away from the scene to avoid a clash.
Kashmir started its Sunday at a clam note. Though the markets were open and Lal Chowk had the average footfalls, because of the Sunday market, thinning started soon after the afternoon Zuhar prayers. By evening it was a sort of curfew. Soon Kashmir emerged noisy and visible on streets with fire crackers.
In the University of Kashmir hostels, the inmates came out and were seen singing and dancing. These did not exclude the girls hostels inmates. Douz Ha Marie Koutru Aaz Ha Aisie Waier – you were defeated today, it was your turn, they sang with bands on.
Kashmir has almost completed three of four weeks of fasting in the ongoing Ramzan. It is shortly a week short of Eid. But the cricket infused a new life in the otherwise clam life. The cricket celebrations came at a time when entire south Kashmir was shut and mourning various killings in the last few days. Reports from south said similar situation prevailed there as well.
The noise dominated the scene for almost two hours till the call for Isha prayers came. Then the Taraveh hymens devoured the noises that the cracked were creating.
Given the massive deployments around, police kept its fingers crossed so that the celebrating youth do not open up clashes with the paramilitary or the army. There were instances of fire crackers being lit in close vicinity of various garrisons within and outside the city. “There was no untoward incident,” SSP Srinagar said.
