BJP says ‘take it easy’; Omar Abdullah takes dig at Pak’s ‘hollow threat’
SUHAIL KHAN
Jammu, Feb 11: AHEAD OF the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match, Jammu and Kashmir Minister Satish Sharma Tuesday called for snapping cricket ties with the neighbouring country, drawing a sharp contrast within his own coalition as MLAs from the NC and PDP termed the contest “welcome” and a bridge for peace.
The National Conference leader’s call for a sporting boycott — “Why are you playing with a country that is stabbing you in the back? We should not play with them” — came even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a swipe at Pakistan for its “hollow threat” to pull out, and the Opposition BJP advised him to “take it easy”.
“They are martyring our soldiers. So many Kashmiri people have been martyred. So many Jammu people have been martyred. These are the people who are robbing us day and night,” Sharma told reporters outside the Assembly.
National Conference legislator from Baramulla Javid Hassan Baigh told The Web Story/The Varmul Post, “This is good. The team that plays well will win. This is not a huge issue. Playing in the field will not help them create any records. It will be better for them if they understand the importance of peace, brotherhood and friendship.”
PDP MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi called the match a “welcome step”. “India and Pakistan cannot stay in isolation. The two countries have to engage with each other for peace and prosperity in the subcontinent. Sports should not have been seen from the perspective of politics,” he said.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah, when asked about Pakistan’s initial threat to boycott, said: “Those who do not have the strength to stand behind their threat should not make one. Let them come and play, and whatever happens in the match will happen.”
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma said “Take it easy, man… Pakistan has always lost. Both in the battlefield and in the field of play. You tell me, when did Pakistan win after the 1975 World Cup? He has to lose. That’s why he takes a U-turn.”
BJP’s Balwant Singh Mankotia said Pakistan’s decision to participate after threatening a boycott showed it had “surrendered”. “They had given a blustering threat, but it doesn’t mean anything. Today they have surrendered; they have come on the backfoot,” he said.
The match is scheduled for February 15 in Colombo.
Notably, The Government of Pakistan did a complete 360-degree U-turn on Monday evening, giving permission to the senior men’s team to take the field against India in the T20 World Cup on February 15.
The announcement was made after the ICC confirmed that no sanctions would be put on Bangladesh for not travelling to India for the tournament. It took just eight days for Pakistan to reverse its own stance. Once the announcement was made, the Sri Lankan President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, thanked the Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, for paving the way for the match to take place.
