Did Pakistan's hockey loss to India at the Asian Games prompt their recent attacks in Kashmir?

Violence triggered by sport?

The firing continues along the Indo-Pak border in what could be termed as one of the worst confrontations between neighbours for over a decade. Pakistani troops have targeted more than 60 Indian Border Security Force (BSF) posts and 80 villages. The death toll is on the rise and hundreds have been injured. More than 18,000 people have fled their homes since the firing started a week ago.

But is it possible that all of this unpleasantness has been triggered by something as innocent as sport?

A report submitted by the BSF to the Union Home ministry suggests that India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asian Games final was what caused Pakistan to intensify its attacks in Kashmir. According to the report, the onslaught on the Indian posts increased manifold within two hours of Indian team clinching gold in Incheon.

The Indian hockey team won gold at the Asiad after 16 years, and this was the first time they had beaten Pakistan in the final. The match was decided by a penalty shootout which India won 4-2 after both teams were tied at 1-1 at the end of full time.

Other officials in the BSF believe the shelling started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United States. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had raised the issue of Kashmir while addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but Modi categorically denied talks with Pakistan until peace prevailed in the region between the two nations.

More than just fun and games

Fans in India and Pakistan are notorious for taking sports too seriously. Cricket matches between the two countries are traditionally seen as all-out wars, and any confrontation between the arch-rivals, whether on a sporting ground or on a battleground, inspires fevered passions among both Indians and Pakistanis.

There have been several reports of suicides committed by fans of the losing team after sporting encounters between India and Pakistan, and stadium violence is not uncommon when one of the two teams finds itself in a hopeless situation.

If these reports of hockey-inspired violence are true though, it would be a new and unprecedented instance of taking a game too seriously, and that too by the government of a nation.

Officials along the border, while speaking to Hindustan Times, looked with suspicion at the timing and reasons of this latest round of violence initiated by Pakistan. They too confirmed that the firing started close on the heels of the hockey match.

India’s defence minister Arun Jaitley, meanwhile, had strong words for the cross-border neighbours.

"Pakistan should stop this unprovoked firing and shelling if it wants peace on the border. This is an effort [by Pakistan] to precipitate tension for both domestic and international reasons,” Jaitley said.

Even the minister, however, had no concrete answer to give when asked why Pakistan had suddenly launched such an intense offensive at the border. “Why now? [This question] should be asked across the border, not me," he said.

The words of the BSF officials and of Jaitley do seem to add credence to the theory that this latest violation of ceasefire regulations along the border may have been brought about by bitterness over defeat on the sporting field.

Blame game continues

While India has accused Pakistan of starting the violence in order to ensure that the separatist militants infiltrate India-controlled Kashmir, Pakistan in turn has blamed India for the unrest. Many insurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence since 1989, which has resulted in thousands of people losing their lives.

A Pakistani army report read: "Pakistani troops are befittingly responding to Indian violations. Every fire coming from across LOC or working boundary is being met with an effective response”. National security adviser to Sharif, Sartaj Aziz called for peace in the region. “We call upon the Indian government to immediately stop the firing and shelling and help us preserve tranquillity,” he said.

BSF officials though have squarely blamed Pakistan for escalating tensions along the LOC.

"The Pakistani army is trying to focus international attention on Kashmir and this time they're trying to say that not only is the line of control disputed, the international border too is not clearly demarcated. We have no option but to retaliate,” said a senior BSF official.

BSF Chief DK Pathak feels that Pakistan have shifted their attack on residential areas as they could not cause much damage on BSF posts. "They are targeting the residential areas because they think that they are not being able to cause any huge damage to the BSF posts, which is wrong and should not happen," said Pathak.