Pahalgam victim's widow for boycott of match

Cricket body accused of ignoring sacrifices of 26 killed in attack Sena holds 'Sindoor' stir, says skipping Asia Cup will send strong signal

- NAMITA BAJPAI, HARPREET BAJWA & SUDHIR

EVEN as cricket enthusiasts eagerly await the India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 championship scheduled for Sunday, there are growing calls from various quarters, including relatives of the Pahalgam massacre victims, to boycott the event.

Aishanya Dwivedi, the young widow of one of the Pahalagam massacre victims, came out strongly against the championship, condemning the gesture and urging all the stakeholders concerned to boycott the fixture.

Criticising the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for agreeing to play against Pakistan, who she described as a "terrorist nation," Aishanya accused it of ignoring the sacrifices of 26 people who lost their lives in the terror attack on April 22, this year.

"The BCCI should not have accepted a match between India and Pakistan. I think BCCI is not sentimental towards those 26 families. What are our cricketers doing? Cricketers are said to be nationalists. It is viewed as our national game. Except for 1-2 cricket players, nobody stepped forward to say that we should boycott the match against Pakistan. BCCI cannot make them play at gunpoint. They should take a stand for their country. But they are not doing it," Aishanya said while interacting with media persons in Kanpur.

Aishanya sought to ask the sponsors and broadcasters if their nationality for those 26 families were over. "What will the revenue from the match be used for? Pakistan will use this just for terrorism. That is a terrorist nation.