BCCI told to sever India vs Pakistan cricketing ties after Pahalgam attack; ‘Respond in a language they understand’

Shreevats Goswami, a former India cricketer and teammate of Virat Kohli in the 2008 U-19 World Cup-winning squad, has called for no cricketing ties with Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, which took the lives of 26 tourists on Tuesday and injured several others.

The India vs Pakistan cricket rivalry has already been hit for more than a decade due to the strained diplomatic relations between the two countries. In a strongly worded social media post, Goswami demanded to end all sporting ties with Pakistan forever.

"And this is exactly why I say - you don't play cricket with Pakistan. Not now. Not ever. When BCCI or the government refused to send India to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, some had the audacity to say, 'Oh, but sport should rise above politics'," Goswami wrote on social media.

"...murdering innocent Indians seems to be Pakistan's national sport and India should respond with zero tolerance and not with bats and balls," he added.

Although Pakistan denied any role in the brutal terror attack, the Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the attack in Pahalgam. The TRF is a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group.

India vs Pakistan cricketing ties

The Indo-Pak cricketing ties took a hit when Pakistani terrorists attacked Mumbai in 2008. Since then, the BCCI has banned Pakistan cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL). The last time India and Pakistan played a bilateral series was in 2012.

Since then, India and Pakistan have played only in International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) events. Recently, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Goswami, who had recently visited Pahalgam, said he had sensed hope and peace returning to the valley. "And now... this bloodshed again. It breaks something inside you. It makes you question how many more times we're expected to stay silent, stay "sporting," while our people die. No more. Not this time," he added.