India trounced Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup on Sunday, their first meeting since their military confrontation in May, in spite of protests from a number of opposition leaders.
In his remarks about the game, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi stated that playing cricket with the people who had made "our daughters into widows and our children into orphans" cannot be the measure of accomplishment.
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More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone, and artillery exchanges during the May hostilities between India and Pakistan before a negotiation.
An April 22 terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, set off the conflict. Targeting terrorist organizations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, India initiated Operation Sindoor in May.
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“Look, India should win everywhere, whether it's a cricket match or against terrorists. But the standard of victory cannot be that you play games with those who are making our daughters widows and our children orphans. This cannot be a victory,” Owaisi told reporters in an indirect reference to the Pahalgam attack.
Prior to the game, Owaisi had attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government, questioning whether the money made from the match was worth more than the 26 lives lost in the Pahalgam terror incident.
Speaking at a public gathering on Saturday, the leader of AIMIM said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had warned that terror and dialogue are impossible, and that water and blood cannot flow together.
"How much money will the BCCI get from one cricket match ₹2,000 crore, ₹3,000 crore? Tell us, is the value of the lives of our 26 citizens more, or the money? The BJP should tell us about it (on the decision to play the match against Pakistan)".
He claimed that although the BJP frequently discusses "Desh Bhakti," it gets "stumped" (changing version) when it comes to cricket matches. He said that the AIMIM has always supported the families of those slain in the Pahalgam terror incident.
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