Asif Nazrul Thanks Pakistan for Match Boycott
Following the official announcement by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, February 4, Dr. Asif Nazrul, the Adviser for Youth and Sports of Bangladesh’s interim government, expressed his gratitude.
On Thursday morning, February 5, the Sports Adviser shared a brief post on his verified Facebook page, writing, "Thank you, Pakistan." In the post, he highlighted two quotes from the Pakistani Prime Minister’s speech, where Shehbaz Sharif stated, "Pakistan will not play against India in the T20 World Cup under any circumstances. It is our moral responsibility to stand by Bangladesh in the current situation."
During a cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, Shehbaz Sharif clarified that politics should not exist on the sports field. He remarked, "India’s cricket-related policies are unacceptable. That is why this decision is a protest against the exclusion of Bangladesh from the tournament. We stand fully with Bangladesh."
It is noted that the Bangladesh government had refused to send the cricket team to India citing security concerns and proposed Sri Lanka as a neutral venue. However, the ICC rejected the proposal and included Scotland in the tournament instead of Bangladesh. In protest of this unilateral decision by the ICC, Pakistan remains firm in its final position to boycott the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match scheduled for February 15.
