Pakistan and India rivalry increased by TV advert row

A Pakistani television channel put together a tongue-in-cheek commercial that mocked Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured and then released earlier this year

As India prepare to take on Pakistan at Old Trafford on Sunday, tensions between the two arch-rivals have risen thanks to a television advert.

A clash that requires neither further introduction nor greater billing has found itself making headlines in the two countries after a Pakistani channel put together a tongue-in-cheek TV commercial that mocked Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

Varthaman was captured by Pakistan at a time of high tension between the countries. The incident came soon after 40 Indian paramilitaries were killed in a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir, with the pilot later released as a “gesture of peace”.

While in captivity in Pakistan, he was interrogated while drinking a cup of tea, politely declining to answer questions.

The advert recreates the scene, with the actor playing the pilot wearing an Indian one-day international shirt and donning a copy of Varthaman’s moustache.

As he is allowed to leave the interrogation room in the advert, he is instructed to leave his cup behind – both in literal reference to the mug of tea, and a longer-term nod to the upcoming World Cup match.

Jazz TV advt on #CWC19 takes the Indo-Pak air duel to new level. It uses the air duel over Nowshera and Wing Co Abhinandan Varthaman's issue as a prop. @IAF_MCC @thetribunechd @SpokespersonMoD @DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/30v4H6MOpU

— Ajay Banerjee (@ajaynewsman) June 11, 2019

The hashtag #LetsBringTheCupHome then appears on the screen. The spoof has provoked strong reactions on both sides.

Harsh Goenka, the chairman of Indian conglomerate RPG Group, who shared the video on Twitter, wrote: “Shameful for Pakistan to mock our hero #Abhinandan ahead of #INDvsPAK World Cup cricket game. We need to retaliate!”

Meanwhile, Indian tennis player Sania Mirza, was critical of both sides for further fanning the flames of the rivalry.

“Cringeworthy ads on both sides of the border,” she wrote. “Seriously guys, you don’t need to ‘hype up’ or market the match anymore specially with rubbish! it has ENOUGH attention already! It’s only cricket for God sake, and if you think it’s any more than that then get a grip or get a life!!”

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