"BCCI has forgotten massacre of April 22": Family of Pahalgam terror attack victim

Speaking to ANI, the father of Pahalgam terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi, Sanjay Dwivedi, asked the BCCI if they had forgotten the massacre of the April 22 attack.

He said, "I feel that BCCI has forgotten the massacre of 22nd April. The terrorist nation has been spreading terrorism in our country for decades; they have killed numerous civilians and jawans of our country. When all kinds of relations have been stopped with them, then why Cricket?"

Dwivedi further cited examples of the 1980s, where nations had boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1984 Summer Olympics for their own interest.

The United States had boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics in retaliation for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and in turn, the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, citing concerns over athlete safety and perceived anti-Soviet sentiments.

He stated, "To the people who have been saying that it is compulsory to participate in international tournaments, I would like to say that there is no bigger tournament than the Olympics. In 1980s, Olympics were held in Moscow, Russia and several countries including America boycotted it. In 1984, when the Olympics were held in Los Angeles, America then Russia and several other nations boycotted it...Can't our country boycott such a small tournament? This is being organised just for money..."

His wife, Aishanya Dwivedi, also lashed out at the BCCI over this match, stating Pakistan will "rebuild the terror hotbeds from the money they will earn from this match."

She said, "After the match, Pakistan will have money once again. It will stand up once again and the hotbeds that were destroyed during Operation Sindoor will be rebuilt. This will be the biggest slap on those 26 families (Pahalgam victims) by Pakistan...It is just not within our people to boycott Pakistan and not play the match against them. Had we been doing that, BCCI would not have agreed to an India vs Pakistan match...Had we wanted to bring a change, we should have taken a stand not to participate in the Asia Cup and World Cup if we had to play against Pakistan...BCCI and Indian cricketers are unable to think of the country today. I do not expect a homage (to the victims) from them..."

India and Pakistan will face each other in the evening in Dubai.

The scheduled cricket match is facing severe criticism from the families of the Pahalgam victims as well as the opposition. For instance, the family members of the victims of the deadly Pahalgam attack criticised the government for the upcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan. (ANI)