"No need to play cricket with Pakistan": AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj slams govt over Asia Cup clash

New Delhi [India], September 14 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi unit president, Saurabh Bharadwaj, on Sunday lashed out at the BJP-led government for permitting Team India to play against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup, calling it unjustifiable and against the nation's sentiment.
"No defence is acceptable on this issue... The country has nothing to do with the Asia Cup. Children are happy to play cricket with each other in their parks," Bhardwaj told ANI.
"There is no need to play cricket with Pakistan. If somebody wants to play with the Pakistani team, they can go back to that country," he added.
Bhardwaj also mentioned that women members of AAP would bring sindoor to the party office on Sunday in protest, and that restaurants and nightclubs in Delhi showing the match would be boycotted. He also urged the public not to support such establishments.
Opposition parties had earlier demanded a boycott of the game, but the Centre issued no objection for the Indian team to play against Pakistan in any multi-nation tournament.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Manohar Lal had on Saturday defended the government's stand, saying sport and security issues should not be conflated. "...Both issues are different. As far as the matter of the India vs. Pakistan match, Operation Sindoor, and other things are concerned, nobody will say that the match will happen just by comparing them. But as far as the game is concerned, the game has sentiment, and players also worked hard for it, so it is not fair to oppose it. That's why whatever has been decided has been decided thoughtfully," he said while speaking to reporters.
India will face Pakistan in their second Group A match of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at 8 pm IST.
The two sides have met 13 times in the T20Is, with India leading 9-3. One of Pakistan's three wins came in the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai--their last victory over India in T20 cricket.
India beat Pakistan by six runs in New York the last time the two teams met at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Bumrah produced a magical spell to turn the match when Pakistan seemed like the clear favourites to pick up a victory.
In the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan have clashed 19 times across both ODI and T20I formats. India has won 10, Pakistan six, while three matches were abandoned. (ANI)