 "The upcoming meeting between India and Pakistan takes place months after the Pahalgam terror attack as well as Operation Sindoor. Image: Reuters/AP")
India and Pakistan are set to face each other for the second time this year a little over 24 hours from now. And as was the case in their face-off in the ICC Champions Trophy in February, the two arch-rivals will be locking horns in a Group A fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The situation couldn’t be more different this time around, and it’s not just due to the change in format from 50-over to 20-cricket. The latest meeting between the two South Asian neighbours, the 14th time they meet in Twenty20 Internationals, will be taking place in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Islamabad had spiralled to its lowest point in years following the deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which led to the loss of 26 civilian lives, with the two nations later engaging in a four-day military conflict.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was later advised by fans and former cricketers alike to sever ties complete with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
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And yet, the two nations will be facing each other in a match that is expected to run high on emotion and sentiment. This after the Government of India gave its approval for the match to go ahead, being an Asian Cricket Council event, while clarifying that bilateral cricketing relations with Pakistan remained suspended for now.
The BCCI and the Centre’s approval, however, hasn’t magically dispersed the dissident voices away, with many ex-cricketers as well as cricket fans still calling for the upcoming fixture to be boycotted. Much like how the Yuvraj Singh-led Indian team refused to play against the Pakistani side at the World Championship of Legends in July.
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Spin legend Harbhajan Singh is among those who have called for a suspension of cricketing ties with Pakistan until relations between the two nations improve.
“Everyone has their own way of thinking and understanding, but I feel that until relations between the two countries improve, cricket and business should not take place either. But that is my thought. If the government says the match can happen, it should happen, but the relations between the two countries should be better,” ‘Bhajji’ told reporters during a Society magazine event earlier this week.
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Former India middle-order batter Manoj Tiwary has been vocal against the Indo-Pak clash ever since it was confirmed following an Asian Cricket Council meeting in Dhaka in late July, and has made it clear that he will not be watching the match no matter what.
“I am a little surprised that this match is going to happen. After the Pahalgam attack, in which so many innocent civilians were killed, and then the war that followed, a lot of talk was going on that this time we will give a befitting reply. Despite this, after a few months, everything has been forgotten. I find it hard to believe that this match is happening, that the value of a human life can be zero,” Tiwary had told news agency ANI on 23 August.
Opposition slams centre for allowing match to go ahead
And it’s not just voices within the cricketing community that has been critical of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup match. With the Centre allowing the fixture to go ahead despite the boycott calls, Congress and other parties in the opposition have been taking aim at the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government that had won the Lok Sabha elections for the third consecutive time last year.
“Pakistan, which has repeatedly launched attacks on our nation, spread terrorism in the nation, and killed innocent people in Pahalgam. Why is the BCCI so excited to play a match against Pakistan?” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray had told reporters in Mumbai on Friday.
“Pakistan decided to boycott the 2025 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup as the tournament was being hosted by India. Why can’t we also boycott? The BJP has changed its ideology. It is very unfortunate that we are playing a match with Pakistan. BCCI is anti-national,” he added.
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi had made a similar statement back when news of the Indo-Pak clash in the Asia Cup was first confirmed.
“My conscience does not allow me to watch this match. How can we play cricket with Pakistan when we have suspended trade, stopped water, and banned flights after their hand in terror attacks? On one hand, you say water and blood cannot flow together; on the other, you allow cricket—how is this not hypocrisy?”
Aishanya Dwived, who had lost her husband Shubham to the Pahalgam attack, felt that the cricketers should step forward and refuse to play against Pakistan if the BCCI does not take a stand.
“BCCI should not have accepted a match between India and Pakistan…I think BCCI is not sentimental towards those 26 families…What are our cricketers doing?” Dwivedi told ANI.
“It is said that cricketers are nationalists. It is viewed as our national game. But except 1-2 cricket players, nobody stepped forward to say that we should boycott the match against Pakistan. BCCI cannot make them play at gunpoint. They should take a stand for their country. But they are not doing it,” she added.
Joining the chorus against the Asia Cup match are those who had previously served in the Indian armed forces, including Shaurya Chakra awardee Major Pawan Kumar (retd), who had requested Indian media outlets to not cover the India-Pakistan match.
“No breaking news, no score updates, no tickers—we know you can’t boycott it but you can definitely avoid it silently. Hope you all respect the sentiments of 140 crore Indians,” he wrote on X.