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‘Not bothered to…’: Pakistan angry over ICC, BCCI's solidarity with Afghanistan
Pakistan minister said the ICC's statement gives an impression three Afghan cricketers were killed in Pakistan strikes.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information, Ata Tarar rejected the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s statement on the deaths of three cricketers in Afghanistan as “selective” and “biased”.
“We dismiss and condemn this statement by the ICC which gives the impression and makes claims that three Afghan cricketers were killed in Pakistan strikes,” Tarar said.
Three local Afghan cricketers from the Urgun District in Paktika Province were reportedly killed in Pakistani strikes, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) claimed. The players had returned after a friendly match in Sharana.
At least 10 people were killed in the strikes in Afghanistan, according to Taliban officials, who claimed that Pakistan bombed three locations in Paktika province.
Pakistan's statement comes after ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday condoled the death of Afghanistan cricketers without mentioning Pakistan in their respective statements.
“The ICC has not bothered to independently verify the claims by the Afghanistan board and issued a statement claiming a Pakistan attack,” Tarar said.
The minister said Pakistan itself had been a victim of terrorism for years and demanded the ICC correct its statement.
“It is strange that a few hours after the ICC statement, the Chairman of the ICC Jay Shah repeated the same words on his social media account and the Afghanistan board followed with similar words.
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“The Afghanistan board made statements without presenting any real evidence,” he added.
ACB later pulled out of the Tri-Nation T20I series involving Pakistan following which Pakistan replaced it with Zimbabwe in the series that also involves Sri Lanka.
Several Afghan cricketers, including stars such as Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib, had condemned the aerial attack and the subsequent deaths in strong language through their social media posts on Saturday.
Tarar said the recent happenings, including the no-handshake episode in the recent Asia Cup, could be taken as a biased approach towards Pakistan cricket.
“This seriously raises questions on the ICC’s independence and unbiased approach. An international sports governing body should not be promoting a controversial claim yet to be verified.
“The ICC should remain independent and avoid making contentious statements on the incitement of others,” he said.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” after the two South Asian neighbours resumed attacks following a brief 48 hour truce on Friday. The latest truce was brokered by Qatar and Turkey.
As per the official statement from the Qatari foreign affairs ministry, both Afghanistan and Pakistan have also agreed to hold follow up meetings in the coming days "to ensure sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner, thus contributing to achieving security and stability in both countries."
(With PTI inputs)
