Op Sindoor debate in Lok Sabha: Owaisi voices discomfort over upcoming India-Pakistan cricket match, raises concern over accountability

New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): While a heated debate continues in parliament over Operation Sindoor, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi voiced his concern on Monday over the upcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup and raised questions regarding accountability for the Pahalgam attack.
During the session dedicated to Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Owaisi said, "Does your conscience allow you to ask the family members of the people who were killed in Baisaran to watch India's cricket match with Pakistan?... We are stopping 80% of Pakistan's water, saying that water and blood will not flow together. Will you play a cricket match? My conscience does not allow me to watch that match."
Posing a question directly to the government, he asked, "Does this government have the courage to call the 25 dead people and say we have taken revenge in Operation Sindoor, now you watch the match with Pakistan?"
His remarks came after the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced that the Men's Asia Cup 2025 will be hosted in the United Arab Emirates from September 9 to 28. Group A features India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong make up Group B.
He also questioned how the perpetrators of the Baisaran incident managed to infiltrate India territory.
"Who did Pahalgam? We have 7.5 lakh army and central paramilitary force. From where did these four rats enter and kill our Indian citizens? On whom will accountability be fixed?...", he asked, referencing the incident in Pahalgam.
Earlier, former Indian skipper and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also weighed in on the upcoming India-Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup 2025, stressing that while sports must continue, terrorism must be firmly dealt with.
"I am okay. The sport must go on. At the same time, Pahalgam should not happen, but the sport must go on. Terrorism must not happen; it needs to be stopped. India took a strong stance towards terrorism... Sport needs to be played," Ganguly told ANI.
The Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon began discussion on 'India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. (ANI)