A controversy has erupted over the use of the Palestinian flag by a cricketer during a domestic league match in Jammu and Kashmir. Furqan Bhat had used a Palestinian flag on his helmet while playing a match in the Jammu and Kashmir Champions League.
Bhat was representing the local JK11 team during yesterday's game against the Jammu Trailblazers. He has been summoned for questioning by the Jammu Rural Police in connection with the act.
Besides, the league's organiser, Zahid Bhat, and the person who provided the ground for the match will also be questioned. Further investigation is underway.
The Jammu controversy erupts as protests continue across the world, supporting the Palestinians' demand for statehood, months after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the armed group that governs the narrow Gaza Strip.
The protests have intensified as Gaza stares at acute food insecurity and a shortage of life-saving medicines.
The situation risks worsening with Israel planning to ban 37 aid groups in Gaza, several humanitarian agencies and international organisations have emphasised, seeking to revoke such measures. Such a ban would undermine the fragile progress achieved during the Gaza ceasefire, the NGOs highlighted.
As per its long-standing foreign policy, India supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, which effectively means the creation of the Palestinian state.
