Pakistan minister slams ICC for 'biased' statement: Details here
What's the story
Ata Tarar, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information, has criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for its "selective" and "biased" statement on the recent deaths of three Afghan cricketers. This comes after the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressed condolences over the incident in Paktika Province, but did not mention Pakistan in their statements. On October 18, at least three Afghan cricketers were killed in an airstrike by Pakistan in Afghanistan's Paktika province.
Statement
What Tarar said in his statement
The statements from the ICC and BCCI came after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) pulled out of the impending T20I tri-series in Pakistan next month. Responding to the same, Tarar said, "We dismiss and condemn this statement by the ICC, which gives the impression and makes claims that three Afghan cricketers were killed in Pakistan strikes. The ICC has not bothered to independently verify the claims by the Afghanistan board and issued a statement claiming a Pakistan attack."
Sorow
ACB earlier expressed its sorrow
Earlier, the ACB expressed its deepest sorrow over the "tragic martyrdom" of these cricketers in a post on X. Afghanistan's T20I captain Rashid Khan also condemned the attacks, calling them "immoral and barbaric." He welcomed ACB's decision to withdraw from upcoming fixtures against Pakistan, saying "our national dignity must come before all else." Meanwhile, the PCB has decided to replace Zimbabwe with Afghanistan in the tri-series.
Allegations of bias
Tarar questions ICC's stance on Pakistan cricket
Tarar also questioned the ICC's independence and impartiality, saying an international sports governing body shouldn't endorse an unverified and controversial claim. "This seriously raises questions on the ICC's independence and unbiased approach. An international sports governing body should not be promoting a controversial claim yet to be verified. The ICC should remain independent and avoid making contentious statements on the incitement of others."