'We Should Not Play Cricket': Ahead Of Ind Vs Pak Asia Cup Clash, Congress, Sena Question 'Inconsistency' In Policy

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Congress and Shiv Sena on Sunday questioned the Centre's“inconsistent” stand on ties with Pakistan, opposing India's participation in the Asia Cup clash. They argued that if Pakistan continues to back terrorism, cricketing ties should not go on.

The India national cricket team is taking on Pakistan for the first time in an international cricket match after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Ahead of the clash, there had been a widespread demand from the opposition to boycott the match.

Speaking of the India vs Pakistan match in Asia Cup, Congress MP Manish Tewari said there has to be consistency in India's policies on Pakistan.

“There has to be consistency of policy. If we are not engaging with Pakistan because it continues to be a State Sponsor of terror, then we should not play Cricket with them also. On one side, you are saying that credible information exists that money from the IMF is being diverted to ostensibly reconstruct HQ of the LeT. LeT is designated terrorist organisation, responsible for the attack on J&K Vidhan Sabha in 2000, attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, attack in Mumbai in 2008, it is responsible for the Uri attack, it is responsible for the Pulwama attack, it is involved in Pahalgam attack.”

He continued,“So, if the Lashkar's HQ are being reconstructed with developmental assistance provided by the IMF and on the other hand, we play Cricket with Pakistan, this means that we have no consistency of policy. So, there has to be one policy. If the policy is that talks and terror cannot go hand in hand, then the policy obviously should extend to that Cricket and terror cannot go hand in hand.”

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam also demanded one policy against Pakistan, demanding that there should not be any kind of relationship with the neighbouring country as it continues to harbour terrorists.

Sanjay Nirupam said,“The relationship between India and Pakistan is a very bitter one. Pakistan has continuously made a foreign policy of destroying India. It has sheltered, trained, funded terrorists and carried out terrorist attacks on innocent people of India and on innocent cities. There should not be any kind of relationship with Pakistan. There should not be any sports, cultural or diplomatic relationships. This is the role of the people of India at large and also of Shiv Sena.”

“But the logic coming from BCCI and ICC is that it is right that the Indian government has decided that there will not be any kind of bilateral match with Pakistan, but if we take this role forward in multi-country multinational tournaments, then the Indian team may suffer losses in that match. Still, when we worry about the feelings of the country, then we definitely oppose such matches.”

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj echoed the same sentiments. He said,“Just some time back, Pakistani terrorists killed the husbands of women...The entire country cried with them. In the name of Operation Sindoor, Govt said that it is still ongoing. You have now run away to Dubai to play a match with the same Pakistanis. Is there even a little humanity left in you? People across the country are opposing this.”

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