ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strongly rejected the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) statement claiming that three “Afghan cricketers” were killed in an airstrike, calling the claim “selective, biased, and premature.”
Furthermore, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticized the ICC for issuing what he described as an unverified and politically motivated statement.
He said the global cricket body should “abstain from definitive attributions, avoid certifying unverified claims on the behest of others, and refrain from allowing certain actors to draw political mileage.”
In this regard, the minister emphasized that Pakistan, being a major victim of cross-border terrorism, rejects any attempt to use such claims to malign its image.
“The ICC has cited no independent verification to substantiate these claims. Pakistan strongly rejects the characterization and calls for immediate correction,” Tarar said.
In this sense, he further alleged that the sequence of statements following the ICC’s release appeared to be coordinated.
“Within hours of the ICC’s release, its Chair, Jay Shah, publicly echoed the same claim on X, followed by a statement from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) invoking the ICC’s remarks rather than presenting any evidence,” he stated.
Moreover, the minister linked the current controversy to a series of incidents that he said have undermined confidence in the ICC’s neutrality.
Also Read: Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to ceasefire following Qatar talks
In addition, Tarar urged the ICC to uphold impartiality and resist political influence within the sport. “A global regulator must not appear to push any biased narrative nor allow match-management controversies to recur. Politics must not contaminate the sport, especially cricket,” he said.
