'ANTI-STATE'

Simply not cricket: Pak man faces jail for flying India flag

Australia India Cricket The detained Pakistani told the media that he is a fan of Indian Test captain Virat Kohli | AP

He says he hoisted Indian flag on his roof as a tribute to Virat Kohli

  • The man is charged under the Pakistan Penal Code, which is reserved for crimes considered contravening Pakistan's sovereignty and carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison

A Pakistani man has been arrested for hoisting the flag of arch rival India on his roof, an act police described as "anti-state" but which the accused says was a tribute to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, officials said on Wednesday.

Umar Draz, from the eastern Pakistani district of Okara in Punjab, was charged under the Pakistan Penal Code, which is reserved for crimes considered contravening Pakistan's sovereignty and carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Police said they received information on Monday that Draz had hoisted the Indian flag. He went on the run, but police managed to find him on Tuesday.

"It's illegal to hoist the flag of another country," police officer Ismail Khan said. "Yesterday he was presented before a local court and sent to jail" while he awaits trial.

The detained man told the media that he is a fan of Kohli, who secured India's victory in the Twenty20 International against Australia this week.

Police confirmed that Draz had photographs of the cricketer all over his house.

Protesters in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir are regularly arrested for hoisting Pakistani flags and chanting slogans in support of Pakistan.

This browser settings will not support to add bookmarks programmatically. Please press Ctrl+D or change settings to bookmark this page.
The Week

Related Reading

    Show more