MS Shanker
It’s not every day that you see Asaduddin Owaisi and Arnab Goswami on the same page. But when it comes to the sentiment that India must not play cricket with Pakistan—leave alone in a marquee tournament like the Asia Cup—the nation is speaking with one voice, from expected and unexpected quarters alike.
Owaisi, a known hardliner and chief of the AIMIM, surprised many in the Lok Sabha when he demanded that the Indian government clearly state its position: will India boycott Pakistan in the Asia Cup or not? For a politician who rarely misses a chance to criticize the ruling BJP-led NDA, this intervention was both surprising and significant. And for once, it rang sincere.
Let’s not forget the context. The TRF—a known Lashkar-e-Taiba front—massacred 26 innocent Indian tourists in Pahalgam in a cowardly terror attack. This triggered Operation Sindoor, a four-day military offensive where Indian forces surgically destroyed 11 Pakistani air bases, including the strategically sensitive Noor Khan base near their nuclear command, and neutralized over 100 terrorists across 9 terror camps.
And yet, while the nation bleeds and rages, while military action remains paused but not called off, we’re seriously contemplating a cricket match with the same rogue state? Unthinkable.
This is no longer a debate between “sports and politics”. It is now a matter of national integrity versus strategic naiveté. Can India, with its chest swollen in pride over Operation Sindoor, afford to lend legitimacy to a terror-sponsoring nation through a cricket match?
More importantly, should we?
For all the government’s muscular response on the battlefield, its silence on the cricketing front is becoming deafening. Owaisi’s demand for clarity is not just justified—it’s necessary. Particularly because Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, happens to be the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The conflict of interest couldn’t be more glaring.
Will the Home Minister rise above personal associations and act in the national interest?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) continues to hedge, perhaps waiting for a political nudge. But this issue is beyond the scope of sports administrators. The Indian government must direct the BCCI to formally inform the ACC that India will neither host nor participate in the Asia Cup if Pakistan is involved, neutral venue or not.
This isn’t just about cricket. It’s about consistency. It’s about not sending mixed signals when soldiers die and tourists are butchered.
It’s also about leading by example.
Why should the burden of moral clarity fall on cricketers? Should they be forced to volunteer an exit to uphold the “Nation First” doctrine while administrators hide behind the excuse of apolitical sport?
Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, when asked about the India–Pakistan match, responded: “Why not? Sport and politics should not mix.”
Really, Dada?
Contrast that with former Indian captain and Congress MP Mohammad Azharuddin, who flatly said “No, India should not play Pakistan.”
Even Owaisi—yes, Owaisi—seems to get the mood of the nation more than some former cricketing greats. It’s not a matter of political affiliation anymore—it’s a test of patriotism, maturity, and moral clarity.
Despite temporary calm following Operation Sindoor, tensions with Pakistan are far from over. The government’s assertion that military operations are paused, not concluded must translate into diplomatic and cultural isolation of Pakistan at every level, including sports.
With Amit Shah slated to address Parliament during the Operation Sindoor debate and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to respond soon, the people are watching. The message they want is simple:
Until Pakistan is held accountable for exporting terror across our borders, India must shut every door—including the one that leads to the cricket field.
The BCCI must immediately convey to the ACC that India refuses to participate in the Asia Cup if Pakistan remains in the mix. No neutral venues. No symbolic handshakes. No cricket diplomacy. Not this time.
If the Modi government truly believes that “terror and talks cannot go together,” then cricket—with its massive emotional, economic, and global influence—must also be off the table.
