Mumbai attacks 2008: Indians urge no cricket ties with Pakistan on anniversary of killings

On the seventh anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attacks that left 166 people dead, the Twitter hashtag #NoCricketWithPakistan was trending at number one in India. Many took to social media to call on the government not to resume cricket ties with Pakistan, which were suspended in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks that were carried out by Pakistani militants.

Top Indian and Pakistan cricket officials met in Dubai on 22 November to discuss the suspended cricket matches. The meeting resulted in an agreement that will see the two countries play a limited-overs series, dependent on whether both governments grant permission for the games. Sri Lanka and England have been proposed as potential venues for the matches to take place on neutral ground.

One day before the anniversary of the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan's T201 captain Shahid Afridi said that he supported any resumption of cricket ties with India wherever the games were allowed to be played. "I think cricket should go on between Pakistan and India because it creates good contacts," he said.

However, many Indians took to Twitter on 26 November to oppose Afridi's views, with many saying it would be an insult to the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks if the country was to resume playing cricket with Pakistan. Some also drew ties with the Paris attacks on 13 November and took offence at the fact that while France was bombing their enemy, India would be playing cricket with who they believed was their enemy. Others went further and called for a halt to trade, cultural and sports ties with Pakistan.

Tensions have remained high between the two neighbouring countries in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks in 2008. Ten Pakistani nationals of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group carried out a series of attacks on the city, with hostages taken at a number of popular hotels and cafes, as well as other parts of Mumbai.

Only one of the attackers, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive. He was convicted of terrorist charges and hanged in India in 2012. However, in April 2015 the suspected mastermind of the terrorist attack, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, was released from a Pakistani jail after detention orders against him were dropped. Lahore high court's decision to release the military chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba sparked fury within the Indian government as they continue to condemn the Pakistan for failing to prosecute any of those allegedly involved in orchestrating the attacks.

However, not everyone appeared to agree with the sentiment that India-Pakistan cricket ties should be suspended due to the political tension between the two countries. Many also took to social media to condemn the #NoCricketWithPakistan hashtag, reminding people to keep politics and sport separate.