India-Pakistan clash triggers political storm in India
As India and Pakistan brace for a showdown in the Asia Cup 2025 today, the much-anticipated match in Dubai has already sparked political heat in India.
This will be the first cricket match between India and Pakistan since the military conflict between the countries in May when India launched strikes on "terror infrastructure" in Pakistan after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Several opposition parties, including Congress, on Saturday slammed the BJP-led central government, calling it an "insult" to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and the Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the borders.
Maharashtra's regional outfit Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray announced 'Sindoor' protests across the state ruled by BJP and its allies.
Leaders of BJP and its allies tried to play down the issue and stressed that India will not play any bilateral series with Pakistan until it stops terrorist activities and the Asia Cup match is part of a multilateral competition.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and Congress leaders have raised strong objections, labelling the India-Pakistan fixture as "shameless" and profit-driven while BJP and allied state leaders have thrown their weight behind the Indian team, calling it a matter of national pride and "compulsion to multilateral matches."
Thackeray questioned the morality of holding the match, saying "...Our Prime Minister said blood and water cannot flow together, then how can blood and cricket flow together. How can war and cricket be at the same time?
"The business of patriotism is only for money. They are going to play the match tomorrow also because they want all the money they will get from that match... Shiv Sena [UBT] women workers will come out on the streets in Maharashtra and they are going to send sindoor from every house to PM Modi"
BJP lawmaker and former BCCI President Anurag Thakur said that, "in a multilateral tournament organised by the ACC or ICC, we have to play as it is compulsory for all countries. If we do not take part, we will be eliminated from the tournament as the opposition will get the points. But we do not play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan and we will not play with them until they stop hurting us with the terrorism that flourishes there."
Congress MP Imraan Masood joined the criticism, framing the match as profit-driven: "This is a business... The rights to broadcast it are sold at very high prices... Those who wiped the sindoor of our sisters, and you are going to play a match with them. You should be ashamed, and the government should also be ashamed that they do not have enough morality left in them that earlier they were saying that blood and water will not flow together, and now you are making them play cricket together."
The Maharashtra unit of Congress called it an insult to the kin of those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack and the soldiers who were martyred in the line of duty.
Another regional party Sharad Pawar-led NCP said the government's "dual standards" had been exposed after it allowed the India-Pakistan match to proceed.
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