New Delhi: Aishanya Dwivedi, wife of Pahalgam terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi, has appealed to the public to boycott the upcoming India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match scheduled for Sunday.
Speaking to reporters, Dwivedi urged people not to attend or even watch the game on television. “I cannot understand this. I urge people to boycott it. Do not go to watch this and do not switch on your TV for this,” she said.
Expressing anguish, she criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for agreeing to the fixture. “The BCCI should not have accepted a match with Pakistan. It shows insensitivity toward the 26 families who lost their loved ones in the Pahalgam terror attack and the martyrs of Operation Sindoor,” she said.
Dwivedi also questioned the silence of the Indian cricket team. “Except for one or two players, no cricketer has called for a boycott. Cricketers are seen as nationalists, but they are not taking a stand. The BCCI cannot force them to play at gunpoint,” she added.
Raising concerns about the financial implications, she warned that revenue from the match could indirectly aid terrorism. “What will the revenue be used for? Pakistan will use it to fund terrorism. Sponsors and broadcasters must ask themselves if their sense of nationality ends with those 26 families,” she said.
India and Pakistan are set to face each other in the Asia Cup in the UAE on September 14. While New Delhi maintains a policy against bilateral cricket with Pakistan, it continues to permit encounters in multilateral tournaments.
