‘This can’t be…': Asaduddin Owaisi's first reaction to India's Asia Cup victory against Pakistan

India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup on Sunday, marking the neighbours’ first encounter since their military clash in May, despite objections from several Opposition leaders.

Commenting on the match, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the yardstick of victory cannot be playing cricket with those responsible for turning “our daughters into widows and our children into orphans”.

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The hostilities between India and Pakistan in May this year left more than 70 people dead in missile, drone and artillery exchanges, before a negotiation.

The conflict was triggered by an April 22 terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 people dead. India launched Operation Sindoor in May, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“Look, India should win everywhere, whether it's a cricket match or against terrorists. But the standard of victory cannot be that you play games with those who are making our daughters widows and our children orphans. This cannot be a victory,” Owaisi told reporters in an indirect reference to the Pahalgam attack.

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Before the match, Owaisi had slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government, asking whether the value of 26 lives lost in the Pahalgam terror attack was more, or the money earned through the match.

Addressing a public meeting on Saturday, AIMIM leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that water and blood cannot flow together, that terror and talks aren’t possible.

"How much money will the BCCI get from one cricket match ₹2,000 crore, ₹3,000 crore? Tell us, is the value of the lives of our 26 citizens more, or the money? The BJP should tell us about it (on the decision to play the match against Pakistan)".

The BJP always talks about 'Desh Bhakti', but when it comes to cricket matches, then it gets "stumped" (changes version), he said.

The AIMIM has always stood with the families of those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, he said.

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