Centre Under Fire for Allowing India-Pakistan Cricket Match

This is the first face-off between India and Pakistan on the cricket field after the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed.

Protests led by the Shiv Sena (UBT) took place in Maharashtra and Jammu, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged demonstrations in Delhi. In the south, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the Centre, asking whether the money earned through the match was more than the value of the lives of those killed in Pahalgam.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that Jay Shah, president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and son of Union home minister Amit Shah, pressurised the Indian cricket team to play against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup tournament. The team was reluctant to participate in the high-stakes match in Dubai but was compelled to do so under pressure from Mr Shah, he claimed.

While AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal called it “treason against the country” and said that “every Indian is extremely angry”, Congress Lok Sabha deputy leader and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the government has chosen “profit and spectacle” over compassion and sensitivity.

Mr Gogoi said the decision of the BJP government to go ahead with the India-Pakistan cricket match “exposes its misplaced priorities” as “only a few months ago, innocent civilians lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack, and their families continue to bear the pain of that tragedy".

“This cricket match is not India vs Pakistan, but Team BCCI vs Pakistan, because Team India would never play with terroristan and over the sentiments of the people of the country. Jai Hind," said Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. Notably, the Sena-UBT faction was among the first to demand the cancellation of India’s match against Pakistan.

“If BCCI and GoI can’t call off the match between India and Pakistan, high time we as citizens boycott viewing the match. Say no to cricket over terror, let us unitedly stand with the 26 families of the Pahalgam terror attack," Ms Chaturvedi had said earlier.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi asked whether the money earned through the match is “more valuable” than the lives of 26 citizens who were killed in the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. "We ask the Prime Minister, when you said that blood and water cannot flow together and dialogue and terrorism cannot happen together, then how much money will the BCCI get from one cricket match, `2,000 crore, `3,000 crore? Is the value of the lives of our 26 citizens more than the money?" said Mr Owaisi. Mr Kejriwal wrote on X, "Playing a match with Pakistan is treason against the country and every Indian is very angry about it."

"... The Prime Minister used to say that sindoor runs in his veins... Sometimes there’s a ceasefire, sometimes there’s a cricket match. What happened to ‘sindoor in the veins’? Pakistan is the BJP's partner; everyone knows this. The same people who made that claim are now organising matches with Pakistan," said RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, accusing the BJP of double standards.

The BJP was quick to respond, with party MPs and ministers stating that while bilateral ties with Pakistan remain suspended, international commitments under multilateral tournaments must be upheld.

Union minister Manohar Lal said the game and Operation Sindoor were "two different issues" and argued that opposing the match was unfair to the players who had worked hard to reach this stage. He stressed that the decision to go ahead was taken "thoughtfully" and that cricket carried its own sentiment beyond politics.

"Both issues are different. As far as the matter between India and Pakistan (the cricket match), Operation Sindoor, and other things are concerned, nobody will say that the match will happen just by comparing them. But as far as the game is concerned, the game has sentiment, and players also worked hard for it, so it is not fair to oppose it. That's why whatever has been decided has been decided thoughtfully," he said.

UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that when international matches are to be played due to certain international obligations and "compulsion".

“The country does not want to play against Pakistan very happily. But there is a system that if it is a World Cup or an international-level match, we will participate, but there will be no bilateral series between India and Pakistan -- this is the decision of the government, and it is a welcome step," said Mr Maurya.

Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Sanjay Nirupam said, “The logic coming from BCCI and ICC is that it is right that the Indian government has decided that there will not be any kind of bilateral match with Pakistan, but if we take this role forward in multi-country multinational tournaments, then the Indian team may suffer losses in that match. Still, when we worry about the feelings of the country, then we definitely oppose such matches...”