‘It was crazy…’: Moeen Ali reflects on parents' escape from PoK during tense time between India and Pakistan

Moeen Ali reveals his parents were in Pakistan occupied Kashmir during the tense time between India and Pakistan. (Photo: AFP)

England all-rounder Moeen Ali disclosed that his family lived "about an hour away" from one of the areas that the Indian military had targeted during their war with Pakistan. Moeen, a Pakistani-born spin-bowling all-rounder, also mentioned that his family members were able to board a plane on the same day when rising tensions between India and Pakistan became unmanageable.

“My parents were actually in Kashmir at the time… in Pakistan, only about an hour away from where the strikes happened probably. Maybe a bit farther. So it was a bit crazy and then they managed to get the only flights out actually on that day. I was glad they got out, but it was crazy,” Moeen said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.

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In the 2025 Indian Premier League, Moeen has played six games for the Kolkata Knight Riders, taking as many wickets with his off-spin before heading home after the 18th season was suspended for a week because of the Indo-Pak conflict.

Following a terror assault in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, last month that claimed 26 lives, most of them tourists, India started "Operation Sindoor," a military reaction.

In addition to hitting multiple Pakistan Air Force air bases, the nation's air defense system, and its radar system, the Indian military also conducted precision attacks in terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

With KKR's away game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday concluding in a washout that eliminated defending champions Kolkata from the playoffs, Moeen is one of just a few cricket players who will not be going back to India for the season's remaining games.

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The 37-year-old went on to say that it seemed like the "middle of a war" just before the league was suspended and he and a number of other foreign players took a plane out of the country.

“It was mad, obviously there were those attacks in Kashmir before everything really kicked off. Then within no time things just rapidly escalated and all of a sudden we’re in the middle. It felt like we’re in the middle of a war, but obviously we didn’t hear anything (like missiles striking).

“All of a sudden you’re just scrambling to get out of the country and just to make sure obviously your family’s fine. People are worried about you back home and just to make sure they’re at ease as well,” the all-rounder added.

Additionally, Moeen gave the Knight Riders' management kudos for looking after him and the other players. The off-spinner has played for RCB and Chennai Super Kings before joining KKR, his third IPL team.

“They looked after us really well. They were like ‘Whatever you want, whatever you need, we’ll try and support you as much as we can’. So they were amazing at that but it was crazy man. It’s crazy to be… not in the middle of it, because you don’t experience anything, but it’s happening around you and it’s obviously around the corner."

“Obviously having a Pakistani background and being in India while this is happening. I genuinely believe these are the same people, obviously just split by borders, exactly the same people, good people on both sides. Amazing food is the same, everything’s the same,” he added.