India’s Asia Cup 2025 fixture against Pakistan has angered many fans in India. Both sides are scheduled to face each other on Sunday in Dubai.
Fans have criticised the BCCI for not withdrawing India from the tournament, due to the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
The terror attack took the lives of 26 civilians near Pahalgam in April this year. The attack’s responsibility was initially claimed by The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Then, days later, the group denied any involvement.
In reaction to the attack, the Indian army launched Operation Sindoor, with missile strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK. Meanwhile, Pakistan also responded with cross-border shelling and drone attacks, with both countries reaching a ceasefire on May 10.
‘Operation Sindoor seems to be a waste now’
Reacting to the fixture, Sawan Parmar, who lost his father and brother in the attack, called Operation Sindoor ‘a waste now’.
“When we got to know the India vs Pakistan match is being organised, we were very disturbed. No sort of connection should remain with Pakistan… If you want to play the match, bring me back my 16-year-old brother who was shot with so many bullets… Operation Sindoor seems to be a waste now,” he said, while speaking to ANI.
Meanwhile, his mother, Kiran Yatish Parmar, had some serious questions for PM Narendra Modi. “This match should not happen. I want to ask Prime Minister Modi, Operation Sindoor has not concluded so why is this India vs Pakistan match happening?… I want to tell everyone in the country to go and visit those families who have lost their loved ones in the Pahalgam terror attack and see how sad they are. Our wounds have not healed,” she said.
There has also been a massive boycott campaign in India against the match, but despite all of that, the BCCI hasn’t yet withdrawn from the fixture.