Shiv Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday questioned Sports Minister Anurag Thakur over his clarification on the India-Pakistan bilateral cricketing ties after outrage over the recent Anantnag encounter which claimed the lives of three jawans in Jammu & Kashmir.
Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonack, and Deputy Superintendent Humayun Bhat sustained critical injuries during the gunfight with Pakistan-based terrorists in the Garol area of Anantnag district. One more soldier died after he was reported missing since Thursday.
Outrage in India over Anantnag encounter
People in India have since been demanding that the BCCI cuts all ties with Pakistan Cricket, bilateral or international, and wear black armbands in the Asia Cup 2023 to honour the martyred soldiers.
Thakur therefore, held a press conference in which he made it clear that India will continue to avoid any bilateral ties with Pakistan in international cricket until they stop cross-border terrorism.
"BCCI had decided much earlier that we would not play bilateral matches with Pakistan until they put an end to terrorism, cross-border attacks and infiltration...I think the sentiments of the country and of the public are also the same," Thakur told reporters.
Chaturvedi demands clarity on bilateral ties
But Chaturvedi demanded more clarity from the Indian government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the upcoming clash against Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2023.
"Will the World Cup Match between the two scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad be considered bilateral and be cancelled in respect of the sentiment of the nation? He should clarify that as a minister and so should BCCI," Chaturvedi asked.
India and Pakistan played against each other twice in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 and will next lock horns in the ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.
Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan stopped after 2012 due to the tense relations between the two nations.
The two teams have since then only met each other at multi-nation international tournaments like the World Cup, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup.
