How can cricketers remain aloof when there is heightened tension between India and Pakistan?Just after the day when legendary Pak cricketer Javed Miandad spewed venom against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and claimed that every kid in Pakistan is ready for martyrdom, another veteran, Shahid Afridi warned India by saying, "Pathans are guarding the border forefront.”
Recently, Afridi had called for a peace truce by tweeting, "Pakistan is a peace loving nation, why talk about extreme measures when things can be resolved through dialogues?”
“Pakistan wants cordial relationship with all. When two neighbours fight both homes are effected. Say No to war.” #Pakistan #India #Peace #neighbours,” he added.
However, an Indian news portal had made fun of that tweet and claimed that 'Afridi was scared of Indian Army.' When asked to comment on this in a cricket show, the former Pak captain, said, “Indians aren’t aware that ahead of the Pakistani army, it is the Pathans who are standing. The borders are all protected by the Pathans.”
The Indian Army carried surgical strikes across the LoC to neutralise terrorists from crossing over into India. Seven terror launch pads were destroyed. Reportedly, two Pakistani soldiers and over 30 terrorists were killed in the attack.
Following the tense situations after the Uri attacks, BCCI on September 30 decided that India will avoid playing Pakistan even in the multi-nation tournaments and asked the ICC not to place the teams of the two countries in the same group in the future.
"Keeping in mind that the government has adopted a new strategy to isolate Pakistan and in view of the public sentiment in the country, we request ICC not to put India and Pakistan in the same pool of the multi-nation tournaments," BCCI president Anurag Thakur said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on the other hand, has refused to officially comment on reports that BCCI President will write to the ICC to not place Pakistan with India in the group stages of any ICC event.