Pro-Pakistan sentiment is fondness and love of aspects of Pakistani culture, Pakistani history,

Pakistani cuisine Pakistani cuisine (, Roman Urdu, romanized: ''pākistānī pakwān'') is a blend of regional cooking styles and flavours from across South Asia, South, Central Asia, Central and West Asia. It is a culmination of Iranic, Indic & Arab culinary ...

, Pakistani traditions or the

people of Pakistan Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

. It can refer to having positive sentiments for the Pakistani state in the political context. The like or interest of Pakistan is the opposite of Pakophobia, Pakistanophobia or Anti-Pakistan sentiment, which is the fear and dislike of things concerning Pakistan. In Pakistan, pro-Pakistan sentiment is often linked with national pride, patriotism, and identity. Pakistan was created in 1947 when

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

was divided, and this event was important for the Muslim community. People in Pakistan show their pro-Pakistan sentiment by celebrating national events and supporting their leaders.

In Kashmir

During the 2011 ICC World Cup semi-final between Pakistan and India, a ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' article observed that

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

was "shut down" for the clash, children stayed home from school, and some Kashmiri cricket fans showed their support for the

Pakistani cricket team The Pakistan men's national cricket team represents Pakistan in international cricket. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Counc ...

instead of the Indian team. On 13 October 1983, during a limited over cricket match between

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in

, the crowd cheered India's defeat with ''Pakistan Zindabad'' cries. The slogan, ''

Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad (, ) is a patriotic slogan used by Pakistanis in displays of Pakistani nationalism. The phrase became popular among the Muslims of British Raj, British India after the 1933 publication of the "Pakistan Declaration" by Choudhry ...

'', has been used by some

Kashmiri Muslims Kashmiri Muslims are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Islam and are native to the Kashmir Valley of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan ...

, who demand Kashmir's accession to Pakistan, in the Indian Kashmir. Local police also detain supporters for raising such slogans. Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani cites that much of the pro-Pakistan sentiment in Kashmir is suppressed, the roots of which lie in the Kashmir conflict. However, he adds that "many in Kashmir continue to express their love for Pakistan overtly", either through supporting the Pakistani cricket team, hoisting Pakistan's flag, setting the Pakistani national anthem as their mobile ringtone or raising pro-Pakistan slogans during public rallies. Anuradha Bhasin states that it has to do with a "deep anger against the Indian state and deep-rooted alienation with India’s treatment of Kashmir", while Showkat Hussain states that such pro-Pakistani sentiment is attributable to the "sentiment for secession". Still, other commentators opine that there is also a younger Kashmiri generation that sees their economic future tied to India while not entirely wanting to compromise their aspiration for Kashmiri 'independence', and that this generation includes those who are pro-India or do not support a Kashmiri merger with Pakistan. Khurram Parvez is of the view that many Kashmiri youth "openly showcase their love for Pakistan at the cost of paying heavily for their expression", but that at the same time, this sentiment does not necessarily translate to a desire for Kashmir's outright merger with Pakistan.

References

{{Cultural appreciation Admiration of foreign cultures Culture of Pakistan Political terminology in Pakistan Pakistani nationalism

In Kashmir

See also

References