Pulwama attack: Cricket Club of India covers portrait of Pak PM Imran Khan

Mumbai [Maharashtra], Feb 16 (ANI): Two days after the ghastly terror attack in Pulwama where 40 CRPF personnel were killed, the prestigious Cricket Club of India (CCI) on Saturday covered the portrait of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at its Brabourne stadium headquarters here.

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan led the Pakistan cricket team to the 1992 World Cup title.

CCI president Premal Udani told ANI: "We respect Imran Khan's cricket credentials but at the same time he is Pakistan's Prime Minister and we're just showing our solidarity with our forces and our country."

"We have temporarily covered his portrait but we will soon meet and decide over removing his portrait from the CCI permanently. It's a weekend and we hope in some days, we will have a detailed board meet and a decision for the removal of this portrait will be taken," Udani said.

Imran has twice played for Pakistan against India at the Brabourne Stadium. He had led Pakistan in a festival game against India in 1987. 

He also played an ODI at the venue when he led Pakistan to victory against Australia in a Nehru Cup Game in 1989, where he was also declared as the Man of the Match.

Meanwhile, almost the entire world has issued statements condemning Pulwama terror attack, the silence of Imran Khan as well as Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is conspicuous.

Their silence over the ghastly attack is more deafening considering that they keep sprouting their wisdom on India on sundry issues.

Taking their silence into account, there is a feeling in New Delhi that the civilian leadership of Pakistan had no clue about what the country’s intelligence agency ISI in collusion with the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was up to.

Hours after the attack on February 14, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry issued a wishy-washy statement, terming as "a matter of grave concern" the terror attack on the CRPF convoy which was carried out by JeM outfit based in that country.

In the statement, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said, "We have always condemned acts of violence anywhere in the world."

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry also has been claiming that the link of the attack to it without an investigation was “insinuation.”

However, India last night asserted that the Pakistan Foreign Ministry’s argument was “preposterous when there is a video of the suicide bomber declaring himself a member of the JeM” and there is also “other audio-visual and print material linking JeM to the terrorist attack.” (ANI)