AAP protests India-Pakistan cricket match, warns Delhi clubs against screening

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday protested against the upcoming India-Pakistan cricket match, with its Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj accusing the Centre of "humiliating" the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

There was no immediate reaction available from the government or the BJP.

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AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal questioned the decision to go ahead with the clash scheduled for Sunday.

“What is the need for the Prime Minister to organise a match with Pakistan? The whole country is saying that this match should not happen. Then why is this match being organised?" Mr. Kejriwal said in a post in Hindi on X.

"Is this also being done under Trump's pressure? How much will you bow down to Trump?" he added.

Mr. Bharadwaj pointed to a social media post, allegedly shared by Pakistani cricketers, that depicted Pakistan Army Chief Asif Munir filling the hair parting of a woman painted in the Indian tricolour with vermilion — an image seen as a mocking reference to Operation Sindoor, which was India's counterstrike against terror bases in Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.

"This is a gross humiliation of our women who lost their husbands in the Pahalgam attack, but still our central leadership is going ahead with the India-Pakistan cricket match,” Mr. Bharadwaj said during a press conference here.

He warned that his party workers would “expose” clubs, pubs and restaurants screening the match, "so that people stop going to these outlets”.

The AAP leader, along with party workers, also burnt an effigy symbolising Pakistani players.

Later, in a post on X in Hindi, Mr. Bharadwaj said, "Pakistan’s cricket players mock our widows in such a dirty, disgusting way, and we will play cricket with them. Shame on the BJP government." Calls for boycotting cricketing ties with Pakistan have grown louder since the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists.

According to the government’s new sports policy, India will not play bilateral contests against Pakistan but will continue to face them in multilateral tournaments such as the ongoing Asia Cup and ICC events.