AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has spoken out against the upcoming India-Pakistan cricket match, saying he won’t watch the game because of the recent attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 25 Indian civilians. The match is scheduled for September 14 as part of the Asia Cup 2025, just five months after the April 22 attack.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a special discussion on Operation Sindoor, Owaisi said, “My conscience does not allow me to watch that match.” He questioned how India could continue with a cricket fixture while refusing to trade with Pakistan or allow its aircraft and boats into Indian space. “When we are stopping 80 per cent of Pakistan’s water, saying blood and water cannot flow together, how can we play a cricket match with them?” he asked.
Owaisi, who has also supported the government’s outreach efforts after the operation, said, “Does the government have the courage to tell the families of those 25 people who died that we have taken revenge, and now you can enjoy watching the Pakistan match?”
His comments reflect growing opposition to the India-Pakistan game. Many political leaders and citizens have called for a boycott of Pakistani teams in sports, citing their links to terror groups.
Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena also criticised the decision to go ahead with the match. “Stop your profit over the blood of Indians and Armed Forces,” she said. “On one hand, India’s Chief of Defence Staff says Operation Sindoor is still ongoing. On the other hand, you are rushing to earn blood money.”
Earlier this month, a match between India and Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends in England was cancelled after Indian players like Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Shikhar Dhawan withdrew in protest over the Pahalgam attack.
In April, 25 tourists and a local pony ride operator were killed in the attack. India responded by targeting “terror camps deep inside Pakistan, killing over 100 terrorists.”
With the Asia Cup set to start on September 9 and eight teams participating, India and Pakistan are expected to face each other again in the Super Four stage and possibly in the final — unless the growing public anger forces a change.
