Oxford United player Kash Siddiqi off to India's Real Kashmir - in world's most militarised region
Friday 20 September 2019 13:47, UK
Oxford United footballer Kash Siddiqi is set to move to the most militarised region in the world and join Indian side Real Kashmir, Sky Sports News understands.
Siddiqi is extremely active off the field and in 2013 co-founded the international Football for Peace movement, which uses the power of football to intervene and raise awareness of the planets most pressing issues by combining community-based activity with diplomatic impact.
Real Kashmir were born out of the devastating 2014 floods in Kashmir when two friends - Hindu priest Sandeep Chattoo and Muslim newspaper editor Shamim Meraj - set up a community initiative simply to encourage local youngsters to play football.
As football became increasingly popular Real Kashmir became an amateur club before they became professional and joined the second division of India's I-League in 2016.
Former Leeds and Rangers full-back David Robertson moved to the Kashmiri capital of Srinagar to take charge of the team, winning the title and earning them promotion to the top flight in his first full season in charge.
Kashmir, a historical region centred around the Kashmir Valley, is claimed by both India and Pakistan. Maps of the region do not show concrete borders, because of the disagreements over who owns and controls what.
Further complicating things is that many Kashmiris want to live in an independent country, separate from both India and Pakistan. It has led to ongoing instability, and India maintains control of its territory by stationing thousands of troops in the region.
Tensions have been raised even further recently after India revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, removing Kashmir's autonomy by overturning the rule that outlawed Indians outside the state from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs and winning education scholarships.
