Facebook Users In Pakistan And India Change Their Profile Picture Frames To Express Their Cause

Pakistan-India relations has been dominated by tensions and rivalry since the post-World War II split. However, the political atmosphere among fans in these two cricket-mad South Asian nations is starting to get a little more amicable as the ICC World Twenty cricket tournament kicked off in India last week.

Instead of gearing up for the traditional hate-filled online hooliganism, fans have chosen to post their rival's flag in their profile pictures in a trend that has gone viral in the past few days.

The hashtag #ProfileforPeace has taken over the social network Facebook prior to the weekend games. In recent years, Indo-Pakistani relations have been icy due to a number of terrorist activities in India with the alleged blessing and support from Pakistan.

As a result of the symbolic gesture of unity by fans of the two the arch rivals, Facebook exec Mark Zuckerberg expressed how he was moved by what's going on.

"Something pretty interesting is happening in India and Pakistan on Facebook right now...Hundreds of thousands of Indian cricket fans are putting the Pakistani frame around their picture. And Pakistani fans are doing the same thing -- showing support for India. They're using the hashtag #‎ProfileForPeace," the social network's co-founder said in a statement on his Facebook account as quoted by New Straits Times.

One Indian national, Mumbai-based artist Ram Subramanian, chose to swapped Indian flag for Pakistani colors in hopes of making both governments take notice that despite the rivalry, most Indians and Pakistanis do not necessarily loathe each other.

"India and Pakistan need to have a conversation. How long are they going to keep this (tension) going?" remarked Subramanian as quoted in a report by First Post.

The profile picture frames were originally designed to allow users to express their support for an advocacy or a sports team they passionately care about. But as the trend shows, the feature creates an opportunity of building a bridge to peace in a decades-old conflict.

"When we designed the profile frames feature, we just wanted to help people show support for their favorite teams or a cause they believe in. But this story shows that the more connected we are, the more we realize that what unites us is more important than what divides us," said Zuckerberg as mentioned in a report by Independent.