'Your conscience allows..?': Owaisi slams Centre over India-Pakistan cricket match
What's the story
All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has voiced his opposition to the upcoming India-Pakistan cricket match in the Asia Cup 2025. The match is scheduled for September 14, just five months after the Pahalgam terror attack. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on Operation Sindoor on Monday, Owaisi said he couldn't watch a match between two countries that are currently at odds.
Match controversy
How can there be a match...: Owaisi
Owaisi questioned how a cricket match could be held between India and Pakistan when trade and airspace restrictions are in place. "Does this government have the courage to call the 25 dead people and say we have taken revenge in 'Operation Sindoor', now you watch the match with Pakistan?" he asked. The Asia Cup 2025 will feature eight countries, with India and Pakistan likely to meet multiple times if both reach the finals.
Political backlash
Opposition slams decision to hold match
The opposition has also slammed the decision to hold the match so soon after the terror attack. Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray faction criticized what she called a "rush to earn blood money." She asked how one could profit from the blood of Indians and the Armed Forces while "Operation Sindoor" is still ongoing.
Match cancelation
India-Pakistan match in England called off
Notably, a recent India-Pakistan match in the World Championship of Legends in England was called off after Indian retired players, including Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Shikhar Dhawan, withdrew over the Pahalgam attack. The April 22 attack by Pakistani terrorists killed 25 tourists and a local pony ride operator. In retaliation, Indian forces targeted terror hubs deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK), killing over 100 terrorists.