Asaduddin Owaisi – an Indian politician and chief of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) backlashed at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and asked to boycott the India vs Pakistan fixture in the forthcoming Asia Cup 2025.
It was during the Lok Sabha meeting when Hyderabad’s Member of Parliament (MP) opposed organizing India’s cricket match against Pakistan, citing the recent Pahalgam terror attacks, where 26 innocent Indians were killed.
As it could be the first meeting between these two nations after the Operation Sindoor, Owaisi questions about government’s ethical standards.
The high-profile clash scheduled on September 14 (Sunday) continues to spark controversy. For years, the Indo-Pak matches marked the fiercest rivalry and captivated millions of fans, but continue to face protests for cancellation after Pakistan’s continuing ties to cross-border terrorism.
Asaduddin Owaisi Demands Boycott of India vs Pakistan Match
During the Lok Sabha meeting, a discussion was held regarding Operation Sindoor, where Owaisi questioned the government’s explanation for permitting the IND vs PAK match to proceed:
“No! I am not able to accept a cricket match between these two countries. It is a fact that Pakistan’s aircraft won’t be permitted to enter our airspace, and their boat are restricted from sailing in our waters.
Also, we have not only stopped giving water, but also cut off 80% of Pakistan’s water. As blood and water cannot flow together, why play a cricket match between India and Pakistan?” the 56-year-old Hyderabad MP questioned.
Furthermore, Owaisi expressed that his conscience won’t allow him to watch the India-Pakistan match and spoke on behalf of those 26 dead individuals:
“See! My morals do not convince me to watch the India vs Pakistan match. If the government has the boldness to call those 25 killed people and tell them that we took vengeance on their behalf, and now you can watch Pakistan matches.
Do your values permit you to ask those family members of those dead individuals who were killed in Baisaran to watch India playing cricket matches with Pakistan? It is a matter beyond guilt,” Owaisi said.
Contrasting Opinions of Former Indian Captains About the Debate
Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin, who is currently the leader of the Congress party, supported the debate by saying as India isn’t playing a bilateral series, they shouldn’t compete against Pakistan in international tournaments as well.
On the flip side, India’s former captain, Sourav Ganguly, also spoke about the highly debated issue. He said that terrorism shouldn’t have happened and must be stopped with immediate effect. At the same time, he said that the match between these two nations must continue, as sports and political issues should not be combined.
Other Political Leaders Follow Similar Moves Taken By Owaisi
The political backlash escalates to a peak level when other political leaders follow a similar move made by Asaduddin Owaisi.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, the MP of Shiv Sena (UBT), slammed the Indian government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by saying:
“Stop it! It’s better to halt your profits over the sacrifices and blood of those innocent Indians and the Armed forces. While India’s CDS has clarified that Operation Sindoor is still ongoing, there is still a huge desire to earn money filled with blood,” Chaturvedi said.
Likewise, Sukhdeo Bhagat, the Congress MP, also voiced his opinion, saying: “Definitely! Pakistan’s actions have deeply hurt the national and patriotic sentiments. We must react strongly before planning any sporting connections,” Bhagat said.
India vs Pakistan Match Withdrawn in World Championship of Legends 2025
This type of debate draws parallelism with a similar boycott incident earlier this month. The 4th match of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 between India and Pakistan was called off at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Especially, the retired Indian cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, and the Pathan brothers (Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan) opted out of the group stage clash as a protest against the Pahalgam terror attacks. This left the team with just 10 players as their skipper, Yuvraj, was absent, thereby leaving a huge void in the squad to take on the field.
Will India Face Off Against Pakistan in WCL 2025 Semi-Final 1?
Recently, the India champions have pulled themselves out of the Pakistan-involved WCL 2025 semi-final.
This announcement came one day before the semi-final clash scheduled on July 31 at 05 pm IST. Although India’s campaign came to an abrupt conclusion, but received praises from millions of fans.
Also, the top sponsors have already walked out, saying that sports and terrorism cannot be linked.
Earlier, the India Champions’ opening batter Shikhar Dhawan confirmed that he wouldn’t play against the Pakistan Champions in the semi-final as well.
With the IND vs PAK clash getting cancelled, the Pakistan Champions advanced into the finals after concluding as the table toppers with 9 points and +2.452 net-run-rate (NRR). Whereas, the India champions ranked in fourth position with 3 points and -0.558 NRR.
Conclusion
In addition to Asaduddin Owaisi’s words, the WCL 2025 tournament sets an example of how the BCCI and the Indian government can prevent their players from competing against Pakistan.
As the India champions have now withdrawn from the semi-final clash against the Pakistan champions, it would create uncertainties around the future of India-Pakistan matches in the forthcoming high-profile tournaments, including both men’s and women’s cricket.
