Shiv Sena Punjab protests India-Pak Asia Cup match over national sentiment

Shiv Sena Punjab has strongly opposed the upcoming Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan, scheduled for Sunday, September 14, terming it an insult to national sentiment.

Senior state vice-president Inderjit Karwal and Phagwara city president Ankur Bedi said the wounds of the April massacre in Pahalgam — where terrorists from Pakistan killed Hindu civilians — were still fresh in the public memory.

The leaders recalled that after Indian forces destroyed terror camps across the border, the government had stated that ‘Operation Sindoor’ was still ongoing. “When the operation against terrorist Pakistan is still underway, holding a cricket match with them amounts to an insult to national pride,” they said.

Shiv Sena Punjab urged Indian players to withdraw from the fixture and criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not clearly conveying to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that India should not be made to play Pakistan, irrespective of the tournament’s structure or outcome.