India-Pakistan Cricket Match Today: Union Govt, BCCI Face Public Fury, Netizens Divided (Photo on X@EstudyK)
New Delhi: A political storm has erupted after the Union Government allowed an Indian cricket team to play an Asia Cup cricket match with Pakistan, with politicians, opposition leaders and a section of the public have termed the match an insult to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack that occurred in April this year.
Opposition leaders have targeted the ruling BJP asking if the government stopped Operation Sindoor that it launched against terrorists in Pakistan. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray urged people to boycott the match, which is scheduled for today, September 14, at 8 pm. He asked not to watch the contest as the wounds of the Pahalgam attack remain fresh.
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The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena reacted to Thackeray’s comment stating that the UBT chief has no moral right to oppose the match. “Thackeray, who abandoned Hindutva for power and sings praises of Pakistan, cannot suddenly oppose such matches,” said a spokesperson of the Shinde Sena.
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the BJP-led central government asking whether the monetary gains compared to the loss of human lives.
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“My question to the Chief Minister of Assam, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and all of them is that do you not have the power to refuse to play a cricket match against Pakistan, which asked for the religion of our 26 citizens in Pahalgam and shot them?,” the Hyderabad MP asked.
Owaisi further asked if the money earned through the match is “more valuable” than the lives of 26 citizens who were killed in the terrorist attack.
“We ask the Prime Minister, when you said that blood and water cannot flow together, dialogue and terrorism cannot happen together, then how much money will the BCCI get from one cricket match, Rs 2000 crore, Rs 3000 crore? Is the value of money more than the lives of our 26 citizens?” the AIMIM chief said.
Reacting to the row, BJP MP Anurag Thakur said India’s stance on bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan remains unchanged, but the country may Pak play with Pakistan in multinational tournaments. Participation in such matches is dictated by tournament rules, not a change in India’s diplomatic or national policies, the former minister added.
While many blames BCCI, users on social media pointed out that it was Indian government which approved the match and the game need permission too.
Users on social media also, also divided on their opinion about whether the Indian cricket team should play with Pakistan given the heightened tensions following the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians, most of them tourists in Jammu and Kashmir in April.
