New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) Aishanya Dwivedi, the wife of Pahalgam terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi, made a renewed call to boycott the upcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup, slated for Sunday. She also appealed to the cricket fans as well as citizens to not watch the match, even on television.
Aishnaya Dwivedi, the wife of Kanpur businessman Shubham Dwivedi, was left devastated as terrorists killed her husband in cold blood in Pahalgam on April 22 this year, barely two months after their marriage.
Aishnaya Dwivedi, speaking to IANS, said, “This is not our protest alone. This is from those 26 families whose loved ones were killed in Pahalgam. This protest is of every family, whose sons and brothers were butchered in the April 22 attack.”
Notably, India and Pakistan are locking horns for the first time after the April 22 Pahalgam massacre. The cricket match has stirred a major row and also invited strong backlash from the Opposition parties, owing to deeply strained ties between the two nations over the ghastly terror attack.
The government has maintained a stern stance on any bilateral engagement with Pakistan; however, it allowed a multi-nation tournament, citing certain ‘compulsions’ as the reason.
Aishnaya further said, “I am continuously posting against this on social media. Till now, not even one person has come to me who has said that you are saying wrong. Every person is standing with me. Those people are also boycotting this match.”
Hitting out at the cricketing body, she said that if a common citizen can understand the public sentiment, it goes beyond her understanding as to why the BCCI and the players were keen to play the game with Pakistan.
“They have forgotten that the terrorists of this Pakistan have killed the people of their country. They have forgotten the sacrifice of our soldiers while fighting with the same Pakistan,” she said.
She further stated, “Nobody has sent these players forcibly. The players have gone on their own will; they should have taken a stand themselves. I feel that Indian players and the BCCI do not consider terrorism a national issue. Kuldeep Yadav from Kanpur has also gone to play the match; he could have refused to play.”
Shubham’s father, Sanjay Dwivedi, was also critical of the BCCI and players’ conduct.
He said, “Ever since I came to know about the match between India and Pakistan, I have been opposing it. The players of our country are playing with the country which killed innocent citizens of our country. This is very sad.”
“This match should be boycotted. BCCI is not concerned about the citizens of the country. The board should not have any kind of relationship with the enemy country,” he added.
–IANS
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