Pakistan has strongly condemned the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) statement on the deaths of Afghan cricketers. It says the ICC accepted the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s claims without concrete evidence.
The controversy began when Afghanistan claimed the deaths of three local cricketers in an airstrike in Paktika province.
Why did Pakistan condemn?
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar took a strong stance on the matter.
He said, “We reject and condemn this statement by the ICC suggesting and claiming that three Afghan cricketers were killed in Pakistani attacks.”
Tarar also alleged that the ICC issued the statement without verifying the veracity of the Afghan board’s claims. He said that Pakistan itself has been a victim of terrorism, and therefore the ICC should correct its statement.
The controversy began when the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) withdrew its team from a triangular series in Pakistan, also involving Sri Lanka.
Following the ACB’s decision, the ICC and BCCI expressed condolences for the deaths of the cricketers in the airstrike, but did not mention Pakistan by name.
In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) immediately announced that Zimbabwe would replace Afghanistan in the series.
Questions about ICC’s independence
Tarar also questioned the ICC’s impartiality. He said, “It is strange that a few hours after the ICC statement, ICC chairman Jay Shah repeated the same words on his social media account, and the Afghanistan board repeated the same words.”
He said that the Afghan board made the statement without evidence, and the ICC promoted it. Afghan cricketers like Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib also condemned the airstrike on social media and questioned the ICC’s independence.
Tarar said, “This raises serious questions about the ICC’s independence and impartial approach. An international sports regulatory body should not promote such controversial claims that have yet to be verified.”
He also mentioned the incident of not shaking hands during the Asia Cup, which further fueled suspicions of bias against Pakistan.
Pakistan clarified that it has made many sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. The PCB ensured the tournament went ahead on schedule by including Zimbabwe in the series.
This entire issue has increased tensions between cricket boards, and the issue of investigating the veracity of the claims has now become more serious.
